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Studies in the New Testament 



A HANDBOOK FOR BIBLE CLASSES IN 

SUNDAY SCHOOLS, FOR TEACHER 

TRAINING WORK, FOR USE IN 

SECONDARY SCHOOLS, HIGH 

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES 



The Mediator of a Better Covenant" 



A. T. ROBERTSON, A.M., D.D., LL.D., 

Professor of New Testament Interpretation in the Southern 

Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky. 



Price: Cloth, 50c; Paper, 35c 



Sunday School Board Southern Baptist Convention 

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 

1915 






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Copyrighted, 1915 

Sunday School Board 
Southern Baptist Convention 



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MAR 17 1916 



CI.A428140 









TO 

J. M. FROST 
FOUNDER 

AND 

FIRST SECRETARY 

OF THE 

SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD 

OF THE 

Southern Baptist 
Convention 



PREFACE. 



This book is not meant for technical scholars 
nor for students in theological seminaries, who 
ought to know all that is here given, though it is 
not always true of them. The average teacher in 
the Sunday school, the adult Bible class, boys and 
girls in the high schools, the first year or so in college, 
and preachers with little scholastic training are the 
classes kept in mind. The book is adapted for 
use in Sunday school and Bible institutes and in all 
teacher-training work. There are no references to 
books of any kind outside of the Bible. The chap- 
ters are divided into numerous paragraphs, each para- 
graph dealing with a single idea. The purpose of 
the book is to make the New Testament more intel- 
ligible and more easily taught to others. The connec- 
tion in the whole wondrous story is duly emphasized. 
The author suggests that along with this book one will 
need for further study a "Harmony of the Gospels," 
like that of Broadus; a short life of Christ, like his 
own "Epochs in the Life of Jesus," or Stalker's "Life 
of Christ," and a brief life of Paul, like his "Epochs in 
the Life of Paul," or Stalker's "Life of Paul." The 
author's "John the Loyal" covers in detail the life 
of John the Baptist. But by the help of the maps 
and a New Testament one can study this volume with 
no other books at hand. The Student's Chronological 
New Testament is specially adapted for the purpose. 
I love to think of the great multitudes of men and 
women who are eager to know about Christ and love 
to teach what they know. If in a humble way I can 
play the part of Aquila and Priscilla with any Apollos 
who has the gift of telling accurately the things about 
Jesus, I shall be repaid a thousandfold for writing 
these chapters. May the Spirit of Jesus help us all 
to know this wondrous story, to live it, and to tell 
it so as to win others to Christ. 

A. T. ROBERTSON. 
Louisville, Ky. 



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TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Part I. The Background. 

page 

I. The Roman World B.C. 5 9 

II. Life in Palestine in the First Century 

A.D 27 

Part II. The Life of Christ. 

III. The Forerunner 49 

IV. The Messiah's Birth and Training. . . 62 
V. The Brief Ministry of Jesus 79 

VI. The Tragedy in Jerusalem 98 

VII. The Resurrection of Jesus 117 

Part III. The Apostolic History. 

VIII. Power for the New Start 133 

IX. The New Witness for Christ. 151 

X. The Campaign for the Gentiles and the 

Protest of the Judaizers 162 

XI. Paul's Gospel 181 

XII. Paul's Long Imprisonment 198 

XIII. The Last Years of Paul 218 

XIV. The Teaching of Peter and Jude. ... 231 
XV. The Priesthood of Christ 244 

XVI. Final Victory 257 

Questions for Review and Examina- 
tion 273 

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DIRECTIONS FOR THE STUDY OF THIS BOOK. 



For those who wish to study the book as a part of 
the Convention Normal Course, the following directions 
are given : 

1. Lesson Assignments. Ordinarily each chapter 
will constitute a suitable lesson assignment. Two or 
three lesson periods should be given at intervals to a 
review of the lessons previously covered. Thus classes 
meeting daily would complete the study of the book in 
about four weeks, while classes meeting once a week 
would require about four months. 

2. Examinations — 

(1) The teacher will conduct a written examination 
at the close of the study of the book. 

(2) The questions will be selected by the class 
teacher in accordance with instructions given on page 
273. The teacher will ask that each one sign this state- 
ment : "I have neither given nor received help during 
this examination." 

(3) Members of the class will be asked to answer 
the questions at one sitting without the text-book or 
help of any kind. 

(4) The class teacher will examine the papers of the 
class, and, on blanks which will be furnished for the 
purpose, will send the names of those who make the 
required grade of 70 per cent to the Baptist Sunday 
School Board, 161 Eighth Avenue, North, Nashville, 
Tennessee. The proper seal will be sent to be attached 
to the diploma. 

(5) Individual students may pursue the study in 
their own way. When they are ready for the examina- 
tion, they will apply to the Sunday School Board for 
a list of questions with necessary instructions. The 
questions will be selected from the list given on pages 
273-284. 

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PART I. 
THE BACKGROUND. 



CHAPTERS OF PART I. 

I. The Roman World B.C. 5. 
II. Life in Palestine in the First Century A.D. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE ROMAN WORLD B.C. 5. 



1. On the Ruins of the Past. 

The Mediterranean world was Roman in B.C. 
5, but this was true as the outcome of centuries 
of conflict and final victory. In North Africa, 
Carthage had finally been overcome by Rome as 
a result of the long Punic Wars. Greece and 
Macedonia had likewise been conquered by Ro- 
man arms. Then the western part of Asia 
Minor had come under the sway of the Roman 
eagle. The circle widened till Syria, Palestine, 
and Egypt were provinces of Rome in the east, 
while to the west Spain and Gaul were the spoils 
of Julius Caesar, and even the Island of Britain 
became Roman. Only the Germans in the west, the 
Parthians in the far east, the Goths and Huns in 
the north offered serious resistance to Roman 
arms. The people of India and China seem too far 
away from the center of Mediterranean life to 
count. The Indians of North and South America 
were unknown. But even so, the world was very 
old, how old we do not know. Inscriptions in 
Egypt seem to some to show civilization 5000 B.C. 
Tablets and monuments in Mesopotamia seem to 

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The Roman World B.C. 5. H 

show a like age there. Great nations had passed 
into oblivion. The empire of Alexander the Great 
rested upon centuries, if not millenniums, of 
Greek life reaching back beyond Troy to Mycenae 
and Crete and upon the Persian empire itself the 
heir of the Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, 
Phrygians, and other peoples of Asia Minor. The 
Romans became the heirs of the conquests of 
Alexander in Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor. 

2. A Graeco-Roman World. 

The Romans conquered the Greeks, and yet in 
a true sense the Greeks conquered the Romans. 
The work of Alexander had already spread the 
Greek language and Greek customs over the east- 
ern world. The unification of the world under 
Roman rule did not Romanize this world of 
Alexander so much as it Grecized the empire of 
Rome. Even the city of Rome itself had Greek 
teachers, Greek plays, and the Greek language 
was used by Paul when he wrote to the church 
in Rome. The result was a mingling of the two 
civilizations except in North Africa and the west 
(Spain, Gaul, Britain). The Romans made no 
effort to crush out the influence of Greek life and 
thought. On the contrary, they became imitators 
of Greece in literature and in philosophy. Thus 
Hellenism became the main characteristic of the 
Roman world. One could speak Greek and be 
understood almost anywhere. This Koine (com- 
mon language) was the lineal successor of the 
old Greek and is the language in which the New 



12 Studies in the New Testament. 

Testament was written. It was the language of 
the common people, of business, of life, of litera- 
ture (all save a few artificial imitators of classical 
literary Attic). 

3. Education. 

It is a mistake to think of the Roman world 
as an illiterate age. There were many unedu- 
cated people, beyond a doubt, but the average 
intelligence was unusually high. There were 
great universities like those at Athens, Tarsus, 
Pergamum, Alexandria, with great libraries, as in 
Alexandria and Pergamum. Paul may have felt 
the influence of Athenodorus, the Stoic philoso- 
pher, at Tarsus. There were schools of oratory 
as at Rhodes, and special lecturers on philosophy 
or oratory who often traveled from city to city. 
In Alexandria grammar had received special at- 
tention and Greek philosophy was then studied 
with eagerness save by the Jews. The translating 
of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek in 
Alexandria enabled the Greek-speaking Jews and 
Gentiles also to read for themselves the Old Tes- 
tament. Books were more or less expensive, since 
they had to be copied by hand, but the scribes 
were quite expert and copy establishments (like 
our publishers) existed in various educational 
centers. The flourishing period of Attic culture 
was far in the past, but Greek writers of the 
Koine, like Polybius, Diodorus, Strabo, showed 
that the language had not lost its power. The 
golden age of Latin literature had just closed. 



The Roman World B.C. 5. 13 

Cicero, Caesar, Vergil, Tibullus, Lucretius, Cor- 
nelius Nepos, were all dead. Horace had died 
only B.C. 8. Livy is still living and Ovid is 
writing his poems at Rome. Juvenal and Tacitus 
are not yet born. Greek slaves of culture are 
school-teachers in Rome itself. The mental alert- 
ness of the first century A.D. may be seen in the 
fact that the Christians in the empire were chiefly 
from the middle and lower classes, and yet the 
Epistles of Paul were read in public meeting and 
were expected to be readily understood. There 
were plenty of uneducated people, as the papyri 
amply show, but education was emphasized, and 
in towns like Corinth with many "newly rich" 
often affected or imitated. 

4. Philosophy. 

Greek philosophy was no longer a matter of 
mere academic interest, but had received a dis- 
tinctly practical turn. The Stoics and the Epi- 
cureans divided honors for the popular favor. 
Paul disputed with them in the Agora of Athens 
(Acts 17: 18) and all over the world were found 
exponents of these two systems. Socrates had 
called men away from mere speculation about the 
external universe to reflection on their own moral 
nature. "Know thyself," he had urged. Plato 
carried this idea further and urged beauty as well 
as duty. Aristotle sought to cover all human 
knowledge, both physics and metaphysics. In 
revolt from all this speculation, Epicurus and 
Zeno aimed to give philosophy a more practical 



14 Studies in the New Testament. 

turn. In the midst of a world of struggle Zeno, 
while pantheistic in theology, taught pride and 
self-control with many noble precepts (cf. Seneca, 
Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius), but allowed suicide 
in case of failure. Epicurus, really atheistic as to 
the gods, urged pleasure as the main good and 
the importance of getting it while one had the 
chance. The outcome was widespread immoral- 
ity. These two practical philosophers have today 
numerous advocates all over the world. In Alex- 
andria the Jews of culture, like Philo who came 
in contact with the Greek philosophy, sought to 
combine it with the Old Testament. They ex- 
plained Plato by means of Moses through the 
allegorical method of exegesis that passed over 
to the early Alexandrian teachers and preachers 
of Christianity. Philosophy is always a more im- 
portant part in the life of the masses than they 
themselves know. 

5. Religion. 

The growth of philosophic studies caused a 
tendency to scepticism concerning the gods of 
Egypt, of Babylonia, of Phrygia, of Greece, of 
Rome. Socrates and Plato created a yearning 
after one God rather than faith in many. There 
were still gods in plenty, but no longer the child- 
like faith in them seen in the Homeric poems. 
The forms of worship were kept up, but even the 
priests would wink at each other on the street. 
Julius Caesar, Cato, the elder Pliny, Lucretius, 
Varro, were all sceptics. Cicero was in doubt. 



The Roman World B.C. 5. 15 

The Emperor Augustus, though superstitious, 
was an unbeliever and was Jiimself the chief 
object of worship in the empire. Inscriptions 
show such terms as Lord, Saviour, and even God, 
applied to him. He allowed himself to be deified 
and to be worshiped with images and temples 
dedicated to him. This "emperor-cult" was at 
first the chief enemy of Christianity and early 
brought the Christians into collision with the 
Roman authorities. But there was intense dis- 
satisfaction and yearning for a better faith, as it 
was voiced by Vergil in his fourth Eclogue, per- 
haps under the influence of the Septuagint 
(Isaiah). The Eleusinian mysteries of Greece 
had taught men a secret faith of hope, and out 
of the East later (first century A.D.) came other 
mystery — religions like Mithraism which for a 
couple of centuries challenged Christianity in its 
fight for the masses. These mystery religions had 
their redeemer-gods (like Isis and Osiris) — a 
doctrine of salvation, a baptism of blood (Tauro- 
bolium), and a sacred meal and other secret and 
initiatory rites with magical powers. The votaries 
held secret meetings at night and had ecstatic ex- 
periences that led to immorality. In fact, the 
worship of Aphrodite and Isis had a system of 
priestesses that made immorality a part of the 
worship. There were many religions and very 
little religion. Men were "without Christ, hav- 
ing no hope and without God in the world" 
(Ephesians 2: 12). 



16 Studies in the New Testament. 

6. Morals. 

There was ethical teaching in abundance, some 
of it very good as in the Stoic philosophy. But 
there was no real connection between religion and 
morals. Indeed, the gods themselves were 
thought to consort at will with women and were 
utterly mythical. As already stated, immorality 
was a regular institution in the temple worship of 
Aphrodite, Astarte, Isis, and other goddesses, as 
in Buddhist temples in India today. The old Ro- 
man divinities were not quite so lewd as those of 
Assyria, Egypt and Greece, but the Orontes over- 
flowed the Tiber. With Greek and oriental phi- 
losophy and religion the old Roman sturdiness 
of character broke down and divorce, once un- 
known in Rome, became the rule. The picture 
of Pompeian life preserved on the walls of houses 
in Pompeii by the ashes of Vesuvius is so vile 
that women are not allowed to see it. Seneca 
will lament: "Vice no longer hides itself; it 
stalks forth before all eyes. Innocence is no 
longer rare ; it has ceased to exist." Infanticide 
was so common that nothing was thought of it 
any more than in China and Japan before Chris- 
tianity entered these lands. The empire was said 
to be crimsoned with the blood of infants. Paul's 
indictment of the Roman world in Romans i and 
2 is recognized today as true of China. "The 
whole world lieth in wickedness" (i John 5 : 19). 



The Roman World B.C. 5. 17 



7. Society. 



There were wheels within wheels then, as now. 
The old Roman republic had given place to the 
great empire. The simple habits that had made 
the Romans great had vanished. The generals 
and political leaders became extremely rich as a 
result of the Roman conquests. Of the eighty- 
five million people in the empire only seven mil- 
lion were in Italy. There were six million slaves 
in the empire. There was a large freedman class 
who had purchased their freedom or had been set 
free. The plebeians were free-born and held 
themselves above both freedmen and slaves. 
There was no middle class in Roman society, but 
two great extremes of wealth and poverty. The 
few were rich, the many were poor. The nobles 
were wildly extravagant and feasted out of gold 
dishes. Once Cicero and Pompey came uninvited 
to the house of Lucullus and found him feasting 
on a four thousand-dollar meal. The masses were 
pauperized for the few who ground them to the 
earth. The masses in Rome clamored for bread 
and games, free food and free shows at the cost 
of the state. The gladiatorial shows grew in size 
and in horror to satisfy the blood-thirstiness of 
the populace. They were "living pictures" rather 
than moving-pictures of cruelty. Licentiousness 
and cruelty grew apace. Small farms disappeared 
and great landed estates took their place. People 
crowded to the cities. Trade guilds were or- 
ganized as a defense against the capitalists. 



18 Studies in the New Testament. 

There were burial clubs and all sorts of fraternal 
organizations, traveling craftsmen of various 
sorts. Then the race problem was acute. The 
Jews stood aloof from the Gentiles and were cor- 
dially disliked by them in return. The Greeks 
spoke of others as barbarians. The Romans who 
were citizens held themselves above those who 
were not, freedmen, slaves or what not, the mot- 
ley crew of many lands ruled by Rome. There 
was no democracy, but a real caste system, based 
on money and power. 

8. Business Activity. 

The Pax Romana which came with the con- 
quest of all the Mediterranean world brought a 
time of the most tremendous business activity 
ever known till the nineteenth century. The gates 
of Janus were closed, but the door of commer- 
cial opportunity was open all over the world. 
Egypt was the granary of the empire, but trade 
came from India, from Spain, from the Car- 
pathian mountains, even from Britain. Roman 
ships swept the sea. The wonderful Roman 
roads like the Appian Way (part of it still in use) 
and the Egnation Way put to shame our modern 
highways. Not so much can be said for the inns 
which were often mere drinking houses with bed- 
rooms attached, exposed to thieves or courtesans. 
But merchants traveled for business. Men trav- 
eled for pleasure, for knowledge, for health. 
There were factories, wholesale houses, barbers, 
great business enterprises like those of the present 



The Roman World B.C. 5. 19 

day. In A.D. 33 a great panic was caused by the 
failure of the banking houses of Maximus and 
Vibo in Rome, due to the downfall of Seuthes and 
Son in Alexandria, and Malchus and Company of 
Tyre. The papyri give interesting details of the 
contracts and other business details of the time. 
Many of the wealthy merchants had country 
villas and showed great munificence and benefi- 
cence. 

9. Great Cities. 

There were cities of importance in the empire. 
Rome itself was easily first. Its foundation is 
mythical as to date, but is usually placed at 754 
B.C. But it is a wonderful story, how the little 
city on the Tiber slowly grew beyond its rivals 
till it ruled Italy, destroyed Carthage in spite of 
Hannibal, conquered Greece, and ruled the world 
till slowly success itself sowed the seed of decay 
and ruin. The birth rate declined, the middle 
class disappeared, luxury and idleness enervated 
the upper classes, the slaves and freedmen felt no 
responsibility of citizenship against the hordes of 
barbarians from the North. But Rome was not 
the only city of importance. Far east on the 
Euphrates, Babylon still lingered, the symbol of 
oriental splendor and power, the home of a multi- 
tude of Jews. In Egypt, besides the old cities of 
Memphis and Thebes, there was Alexandria, the 
city built by Alexander the Great, and now the 
emporium of trade, the seat of a great university 
and library, the meeting place of east and west. 



20 Studies in the New Testament. 

Antioch in Syria, Tarsus in Cilicia, Ephesus in 
Asia, Pergamum, ancient capital of a great king- 
dom, with its great library; Philippi, the Roman 
colony in Macedonia; Thessalonica, the thriving 
commercial city (still existing as Saloniki) ; 
Athens, with its temples and groves and univer- 
sity and ancient glory; Corinth, once destroyed 
by Mummius, but restored by Julius Caesar, and 
now a flourishing city of trade — these are but 
samples of the city life of the empire. Some 
were colonies like Philippi with a reproduction 
of Roman life, military outposts. Others were 
free cities like Antioch in Syria; some were cap- 
ital cities of the province like Ephesus. Each 
had its own method of government like the 
politarchs of Thessalonica and the strategoi of 
Philippi. 

10. Militarism. 

It was the army that dictated to the people. 
There was also a great navy, which cooperated 
with the army. The constant tendency had been 
for the army to rally round its general and push 
him to the fore. The long civil wars between 
Sylla and Marius, Caesar and Pompey, Octavius 
and Antony had greatly weakened the empire 
and the strength of the army. Exhaustion began 
to tell, and the army became mercenaries or hired 
soldiers and came in time to dictate the emperors 
and to override the senate. With the help of the 
army and the navy the emperor kept the people 
under control, and for a time the Germans and the 



The Roman World B.C. 5. 21 

Parthians at bay. But the militarism that made 
Rome great in the end sapped the life away, and 
could not hold what it had won. 

11. The Provinces. 

The government was imperial and provincial. 
Roman law was a matter of slow growth, but 
became the basis of all modern jurisprudence. 
Under the republic the senate ruled the country 
with various officers (consul, tribune, pontifex 
maximus, etc.), and proconsuls for the provinces. 
When the empire displaced the republic, there 
were two sets of provinces (senatorial and im- 
perial). The senatorial provinces were at the dis- 
posal of the senate and the officer was termed 
proconsul, as in Achaia. The imperial provinces 
were under the control of the emperor, and the 
official was named propraetor, as in Syria. Some- 
times a province was shifted from one rank to the 
other, as in the case of Cyprus, which was sena- 
torial while Sergius Paulus was proconsul, though 
previously imperial and later also. The actual 
government varied greatly according to the char- 
acter of the proconsul or propraetor. Judea was 
a subordinate imperial province with a procurator 
during the ministry of Jesus, though a vassal 
kingdom under Herod the Great when Jesus was 
born. 

12. Caesar Augustus. 

When Octavius defeated Antony at the battle 
of Actium, B.C. 31, he became ruler of the east 



22 Studies in the New Testament. 

as well as of the west. But, like Julius Caesar 
when he conquered Pompey at Pharsalia B.C. 48, 
he refused to be called king (Rex). He was the 
grand-nephew of Julius Caesar and equally adroit 
and politic in preserving the forms of the re- 
public while the power all centered in himself. 
The senate was preserved, but its work was 
mainly the ratification of the wishes of Octavius. 
The office of dictator was abolished, but gradu- 
ally Octavius gathered unto himself all the chief 
functions and titles. He became Praefect of 
Morals, then Prince of the Senate. The title of 
Augustus (revered) was conferred upon him. 
He was repeatedly elected consul. He was made 
Tribune of the people. He was appointed Ponti- 
fex Maximus. Finally all these powers were 
gathered into the one title of Imperator (gen- 
eral), and the republic was dead indeed. Kaiser 
and Czar are modern variations of the word Cae- 
sar, as Emperor is of Imperator. Augustus 
reigned till A.D. 14. On the whole he was a 
discreet ruler and showed wisdom in the men 
that he gathered round him like Maecenas and 
Agrippa. He instituted many reforms and made 
some real progress. One of his acts was a period- 
ical census every fourteen years as we know from 
the papyri. The birth of Jesus at Bethlehem in- 
stead of Nazareth was due to the taking of such 
a census. It was required that one report at his 
home town (that of his father). The census was 
not a taxing, but an enrollment for various pur- 
poses. By such census Augustus learned that he 



The Roman World B.C. 5. 23 

had about four million Roman citizens in the 
empire. He was fond of Herod the Great, the 
cruel king of Judea. 

13. The Jews of the Dispersion. 

One of the most striking features of the Ro- 
man world was the groups of Jews in all the chief 
cities and in many of the smaller ones. This scat- 
tering (dispersion) was due, first, to the Assyrian 
and Babylonian captivity and then to Alexander's 
conquest. Those that returned to Jerusalem under 
Cyrus were but a small handful compared to the 
rest. Alexander the Great and his successors 
were kind to the Jews. Especially in Alexandria 
and in Antioch of Syria were they granted special 
privileges. They took easily to trade and became 
bankers and merchants and have kept their grip 
on the world's money to this day. They flourished 
in Babylonia where there were several millions. A 
million more lived in Alexandria and Egypt. 
Special quarters were given them in most cities, 
even in Rome where successive banishments could 
not keep them down. They came to be hated by 
the Gentiles because of their commercial rivalry 
and success and because of their religious and 
social exclusiveness. They represented all the 
twelve tribes (James i : i), and gradually moved 
west into what is now modern Europe. (See Acts 
2: 6- 1 1 for a picture of the regions where Jews 
lived.) There are no "lost" tribes. Modern Jews 
represent all the tribes. The Eastern Dispersion 
in Babylonia remained, like those of Palestine 



24 Studies in the New Testament. 

(Palestinian or Aramaean Jews) more distinctly 
separate and true to the traditions of the fathers 
in social usages (Aramaean Jews). The Western 
Dispersion, with Alexandria as a center, were 
more open to Greek culture and spoke the Koine 
and read the Septuagint translation of the Old 
Testament. They did not become Hellenized, but 
were Hellenistic Jews. Among the early Chris- 
tians at Jerusalem both classes of Jews (Hellen- 
ists and Hebrews or Aramaeans) appear. The 
Hellenistic Jews of the west were in general still 
loyal to the religious customs of the fathers. Some, 
like Saul of Tarsus, even became Roman citizens, 
but still gloried in the history and hope of Israel. 
Even Philo, in Alexandria, fond of Greek philos- 
ophy as he was, insisted that the Jewish rites and 
ceremonies must be observed. The hundred years 
of Maccabean independence were over and Judea 
was again a subject state. Assyria, Babylonia, 
Persia, Alexander the Great, Egypt, Syria, in 
succession, had ruled Judea since the Captivity. 



The Roman World B.C. 5. 25 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 



1. The chief countries conquered by Rome. 

2. Causes of the change from republic to em- 
pire. 

3. Influence of Greece on the empire. 

4. Religion in the Roman world. 

5. Culture of the people. 

6. Types of philosophy. 

7. The use of wealth. 

8. The chief cities. 

9. The Roman army and navy. 

10. Citizens and slaves. 

11. The Emperor Augustus. 

12. The Jews in the Dispersion. 




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CHAPTER II 



LIFE IN PALESTINE IN THE FIRST 
CENTURY A.D. 



1. Roman Rule. 

It was in B.C. 63 that Pompey the Great, re- 
turning from war with Mithridates of Pontus, 
interfered in the rivalry between Aristobulus II, 
the champion of the Sadducees, and John Hyrca- 
nus II, the leader of the Pharisees and the feeble 
tool of the designing Idumean adventurer, An- 
tipater, the father of Herod the Great. The out- 
come was the defeat of Aristobulus, the capture 
of Jerusalem by Pompey, who entered the temple, 
even the Holy of Holies, to see what was there. 
He retained the civil rule for Rome, but left 
Hyrcanus high priest. The hundred years of 
Maccabean independence were over and Judea was 
again a subject state. Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, 
Alexander the Great, Egypt, Syria, in succession, 
had ruled Judea since the captivity. However, 
the victory of Caesar over Pompey at Pharsalia, 
B.C. 48, left Hyrcanus on the wrong side, but 
Antipater skillfully helped Julius Caesar against 
Mithradates, who had come to Egypt, and thus 
kept his power and won Caesar to the side of 
Hyrcanus. The Romans had in B.C. 190 de- 

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28 Studies in the New Testament. 

feated Antiochus the Great at Magnesia, and thus 
won the larger part of Asia Minor. Now they 
control Egypt and Palestine and all of Syria. 
They govern Palestine on the whole with lenience 
and moderation till Jewish fanatics (Zealots) 
raise a revolution against them. The government 
varies in form and scope. Now the country has 
a vassal king, like Herod the Great, or ethnarch, 
like Archelaus, or a procurator, like Pilate. Now 
the whole of Palestine is under one rule; now it 
is subdivided, but Rome never releases her hold 
upon the country. Roman soldiers are in Jeru- 
salem, in C^esarea, wherever they are needed. 
Roman money is used. Reman taxes are paid. 
Caesar is king, whoever is the titular ruler. The 
Latin language is used in the courts, in legal docu- 
ments, for money, and in military terms. Some 
of them appear in the New Testament (like 
legion, centurion). 

2. Greek Influence. 

The Maccabean revolt, B.C. 167, was due to 
an effort to Hellenize the Jews by Antiochus 
Epiphanes, the Seleucid king of Syria, who 
succeeded Alexander the Great. This part of 
his great empire was Greek. Antiochus Epiphanes 
was greatly enraged at the Jews of Alexandria 
for not helping him in his attack on Alexandria. 
When the Romans ordered him out of Egypt, 
in a great rage he vented his anger on Jeru- 
salem. He destroyed the altars of Jehovah 
and set up the worship of Zeus and commanded 



Life in Palestine First Century. 29 

all the Jews to worship Zeus and to eat swine's 
flesh and to sacrifice it to Zeus. His efforts led 
to fierce opposition on the part of Mattathias and 
his sons (Judas, Jonathan, Simon). They finally 
won religious and political liberty, but their suc- 
cessors (Aristobulus I, Alexander . Jannaeus) 
actually became philhellenes themselves and intro- 
duced many Greek customs among the people. 
Herod the Great built Greek theatres and a gym- 
nasium in Jerusalem and fostered Hellenism so 
that, in spite of the resistance of the Pharisees, 
Greek influence gained a foothold in various parts 
of the country. The region of Decapolis was 
largely Greek. In Galilee were many who spoke 
Greek. The coast cities were open to Greek life 
as were the towns around the Sea of Galilee. 
Greek was spoken by many people in the towns 
and cities and was understood in Jerusalem. 
Jesus probably spoke both Aramaic and Greek. 
It was a bilingual country for the most part. 

3. Herod the Great. 

This famous Idumean was born B.C. 74 and 
died B.C. 4, shortly after the birth of Jesus. He 
got his start because of the shrewd diplomacy of 
his father, Antipater, in winning the favor of 
Julius Caesar. Caesar left him as a sort of per- 
sonal representative to watch over John Hyrca- 
nus II, who was titular ethnarch and high priest. 
Antipater took control of civil affairs and ap- 
pointed Herod, though only twenty-five, governor 
of Galilee. He soon brought trouble on himself 



30 Studies in the New Testament. 

by exercising the power of life and death in the 
execution of Hezekiah, a troublesome robber, 
without consulting the Sanhedrin. He was ar- 
raigned before the Sanhedrin and escaped with 
his life, but remembered the affront till he could 
square accounts. After the death of Julius Cae- 
sar and the defeat of Brutus and Cassius at 
Philippi, B. C. 42, Herod skillfully made friends 
with Antony, who got the east as his share of 
the victory, and he was appointed tetrarch of 
Judea B.C. 41 with Hyrcanus as high priest. The 
Parthians, however, drove Herod out of Jerusa- 
lem and set up Antigonus, son of Aristobulus, as 
king in Jerusalem. In his flight Herod is on the 
point of suicide in his despair and haste, but 
he finally makes his way to Rome to plead the 
cause of another Aristobulus, the brother of Mari- 
amne (granddaughter of Hyrcanus) to whom 
Herod is betrothed. But by the favor of Antony 
and Octavius, B.C. 40, Herod is himself named 
king of Judea by the Roman senate. It took him 
three years to win his crown (B.C. 37), and to 
drive away the Parthians and get rid of Anti- 
gonus (slain). He married Mariamne and ulti- 
mately had ten wives in all. The ears of Hyrca- 
nus had been cut off so that he could not be high 
priest any more. Herod had all the Sanhedrin 
put to death but two (Hillel and Shammai). He 
has a bitter struggle with Alexandra, the mother 
of Mariamne and Aristobulus, because he had 
Aristobulus drowned. Finally, he has Hyrcanus, 
Mariamne, Alexandra and Mariamne's two sons 



Life in Palestine First Century. 31 

(Alexander and Aristobulus) put to death. 
His sister, Salome, was at the bottom of much 
of this trouble, and finally she caused the death 
of Antipater, another son. Herod was a great 
builder of cities, and sought to please the Em- 
peror Augustus Octavius, whose favor he pur- 
chased after the defeat and death of Antony. 
But he angered the Jews by his adulation of 
Augustus, by his Hellenizing tendencies, by his 
repairing the temple (splendid though he made 
it), and by his cruelties. He changed his will 
many times and died in great agony, with in- 
structions for many of the leading Jews to be put 
to death so that there should be mourning at his 
funeral. Josephus does not mention the slaughter 
of the babes at Bethlehem, but that is a mere in- 
cident in his life of blood. 

4. Herod's Successors. 

His will was carried out in most respects. 
Archelaus was to be king of Judea (with Idumea) 
and Samaria, but this was subject to the confirma- 
tion of the Emperor Augustus. Salome was 
jealous and opposed the confirmation. In the 
end Archelaus was made ethnarch with the prom- 
ise of the title of king if he turned out well. But 
he did not turn out well, and A.D. 6, ten years 
after his appointment, he was deposed and ban- 
ished. Judea is governed by Roman procurators 
from A.D. 6 to A.D. 42, when Herod Agrippa I 
is king till A.D. 44. Then there are procurators 
again till A.D. 70, when the kingdom of Herod 



32 Studies in the New Testament, 

the Great was divided. Archelaus got about half. 
Herod Antipas became tetrarch of Galilee and 
Perea, which position he held from B.C. 4 to 
A.D. 39. He was a better ruler than Archelaus, 
and when Joseph in Egypt heard of the change in 
Herod's will, by which Archelaus ruled in Judea, 
he went back to Nazareth instead of to Bethle- 
hem. Jesus spent most of his life in the country 
of Herod Antipas. He divorced his wife, the 
daughter of Aretas, the king of Arabia, to marry 
Herodias, wife of Herod Philip, another son of 
Herod the Great, herself also a granddaughter of 
Herod the Great. The death of John the Baptist 
lies at the door of Herod Antipas and Herodias. 
Philip, tetrarch of Trachonitis and Iturea, is 
yet another son of Herod the Great, and the best 
of them all as ruler. He ruled B.C. 4 to A.D. 34. 
Jesus was in his territory when at Bethsaida and 
at Caesarea Philippi. The population of Palestine 
was by no means all Jewish, though Jews pre- 
dominated. Greeks were numerous in Decapolis, 
Trachonitis, Perea, Galilee, and in parts of Judea. 
The Samaritans were only half-Jews, and all" the 
more hated for that reason. The Idumeans had 
become Judaized. Then there were the Philis- 
tines. 

5. Pontius Pilate. 

Coponius was the Roman procurator who suc- 
ceeded Archelaus when he was deposed as 
ethnarch. He ruled A.D. 6-9. Then came Mar- 
cus Ambivius (9-12), Annius Rufus (12-15), 



Life in Palestine First Century. 33 

Valerius Gratus (15-26). Pilate held on longest 
of all (26-36), and his rule covered the ministry 
of Jesus and the apostolic period till the conver- 
sion of Saul of Tarsus. Pilate was an oppor- 
tunist, a corruptionist and a weakling. He 
greatly desired the favor of the Jews, but won 
their contempt and hatred. He angered them by 
bringing soldiers from Caesarea (the political 
capital of Judea at this time) into Jerusalem with 
ensigns bearing busts of the Emperor Tiberius. 
He set up golden shields in Herod's palace with 
inscriptions written on them. He used the sacred 
money called corban (Mark 7: 11), to build an 
aqueduct about fifty miles long. He slew some 
Galileans as they were offering sacrifice in the 
temple, so that their blood mingled with that of the 
sacrifices (Luke 13: 1). In the trial of Jesus he 
finally yielded to the threat of the ecclesiastical 
leaders that they would report him to Caesar for 
setting free a man charged with high treason 
(John 19: 12), after repeated declarations of the 
innocence of Jesus (Luke 23 : 4, 22; John 19: 4). 
Thus he kept his office and sold his honor. The 
Jews kept quiet about him, but curiously enough 
he was finally ordered to Rome, A.D. 36, on the 
complaint of the Samaritans because of his cruelty 
to the adherents of a Samaritan claimant to be 
Messiah. Eusebius relates that, arriving in Rome 
after the death of the Emperor Tiberius, he fell 
into so great misfortune in the reign of Caius Cal- 
igula (A.D. 37-41), that he committed suicide in 
banishment. Mt. Pilatus, beside Lake Lucerne, in 
3 



34 Studies in the New Testament. 

Switzerland, is the traditional place of his death, 
and the legend is that his ghost is seen on the 
mountainside washing his hands when a storm 
strikes the mountain. All during the Roman rule 
in Judea a party of Herodians schemed for the 
restoration of the Herods. 

6. The Two Herod Agrippas. 

These figure in the Acts of the Apostles and 
call for a few words. Herod Agrippa I was the 
grandson of Herod the Great and Mariamne, the 
Maccabean princess, and son of Aristobulus. He 
was educated in Rome and was the playmate of 
Tiberius' grandson (Tiberius) and of Caligula, 
son of Germanicus, the emperor's nephew. He 
was a spendthrift and a genuine scapegrace, and 
managed to live off of his kinspecple but was 
continually in debt. He was finally imprisoned by 
Tiberius for impudent talk with young Caligula, 
who, in turn on becoming emperor, A.D. 37, set 
Agrippa free and made him king of the tetrarchy 
of Iturea and Trachcnitis (lately ruled by Philip), 
and also of Judea and Samaria. The jealousy of 
Hercdias at this turn of affairs led to the re- 
moval of her husband, Herod Antipas, from the 
tetrarchy of Galilee and Perea, A.D. 42, so that 
from A.D. 42-44 Palestine is once again united 
under a Maccabean king. He rebuilt the walls 
of Jerusalem till stopped by the emperor. He 
sought to please the Jews by persecuting the 
Christians, the first attack of the state upon apos- 
tolic Christianity. He slew the apostle James, 



Life in Palestine First Century. 35 

the brother of John, and put Peter into prison 
(Acts 12 : if), but his sudden shameful death put 
an end to his career (Acts 12: 20-23). His 
young son, Herod Agrippa II, because of his 
youth (only seventeen), was not appointed king 
of Palestine, which became a Roman province 
with Cuspius Fadus as procurator in A.D. 44. 
Young Herod Agrippa II was given the tetrarchy 
of Chalcis on the death of his uncle, Herod of 
Chalcis, and in A.D. 53 he gave that up and re- 
ceived the tetrarchies of Philip and Lysanias. He 
had the oversight of the temple in Jerusalem. He, 
however, took the side of the Romans in the war. 
He died about A.D. 100, the last of the Herods 
to rule. The speech of Paul before this ruler 
(Acts 26) was in no sense a trial, but a sort of 
courtesy by Festus to the Jewish ruler on a visit 
from Caesarea Philippi to Caesarea. He kept his 
sister Bernice as his mistress, as his other sister 
Drusilla lived with Felix. 

7. The Temple. 

The temple in Jerusalem was the crown and 
glory of Israel, not merely of Jerusalem. Sit- 
uated on Mount Moriah, it dominated the city. 
The building was first erected by Solomon and 
was destroyed by Nebuchadrezzar. The second 
temple was erected by Zerubbabel and lasted till 
the time of Herod the Great. He built the third 
temple, or rather began it, B.C. 19. It was only 
completed A.D. 65 and was destroyed by Titus 
A.D. 70. The Jews were so jealous of the temple 



36 Studies in the New Testament. 

that they would not agree for Herod to tear it 
down. Hence, it was rebuilt in sections, and the 
work had been going on forty-six years when 
Jesus came to the passover A.D. 26 (John 2 : 20). 
The sanctuary included the holy place and the 
most holy place, after the pattern of the taber- 
nacle. The court of Israel surrounded it. Then, 
lower down, came the court of the women; still 
lower, was the court of the Gentiles. The tower of 
Antonia, at the northwest corner, was occupied 
by Roman soldiers. The walls on the east over- 
looked the valley of Jehoshaphat, and to the south 
the valley of Hinnom (Gehenna), where fires 
burned up the filth of the city. The great feasts 
brought crowds to the city and the worship cen- 
tered in the temple. The hours of prayer were 
nine, twelve and three. The priests served in 
turn (cf. Zacharias) and an elaborate ritual of 
sacrifice was observed. There were offerings for 
sins cf omission and of commission, for the rich 
and the poor. In the court of the Gentiles were 
stalls for the sheep and doves and the money- 
changers for the convenience of the Jews of the 
Dispersion. The religious and social life of the 
Jews centered in this wonderful temple with all 
its glory. They felt that the very Presence of 
Tehovah was over the Mercy Seat. The high 
priest alone was allowed to enter the Holy of 
Holies, and that only once a year. 



Life in Palestine First Century. 37 

8. The Great Feasts. 

The feast of purim (cf. Esther 9: 26) occurred 
a month before the passover, and was observed 
at home or in the home synagogue. It was a 
season of rejoicing over the fate of Haman and 
the rescue of the Jews from his plot. The feast 
of the passover occurred in the spring (corre- 
sponding to our Easter), and varied each year 
with the ccming of the full moon. It commemo- 
rated the deliverance from Egypt and was the 
great festival of the year, the feast of unleavened 
bread, following for a week after the offering of 
the paschal lamb. All Jews who could do so 
came to Jerusalem then, often many hundreds of 
thousands. The feast of pentecost came fifty 
days later. It was the feast cf the first fruits. 
About the end of September came the feast of 
tabernacles (or booths), when the people came 
and dwelt in booths in gratitude for the yearns 
harvest. The Day of Atonement (sometimes 
called New Year's Day) was the most solemn 
day of the year for the Jews, the crown of the 
Levitical system, when the high priest made his 
annual entrance into the Holy of Holies. Towards 
the close of December came the feast of dedica- 
tion, in honor of the re-dedication of the temple 
by Judas Maccabeus after its recovery from the 
profanation by Antiochus Epiphanes. 

9. The Sanhedrin. 

This supreme court of the Jews was composed 
of seventy-one members, and the members were 



38 Studies in the New Testament. 

called elders. Both Pharisees and Sadducces be- 
longed to it, and a good deal of rivalry existed. 
The members came from the chief priests and 
scribes. Shortly before the trial of Jesus the 
power of life and death was taken away from 
the Sanhedrin and reserved for the Roman pro- 
curator. In the Gospels and Acts, Caiaphas, the 
high priest, is the president of the Sanhedrin. 

10. The Synagogue. 

One of the great institutions of Judaism was 
the synagogue which arose during the exile in 
Babylon, when the people were deprived of the 
worship in the temple. It was both a 'school of 
the Bible and a place of worship. A common 
name for it was "place of prayer" (cf. Acts 16: 
13). Wherever there were Jews enough, they 
had a synagogue. When the Jews were few in 
number, as at Philippi, the place of prayer might 
be outside of the town, by a stream, to facilitate the 
ceremonial ablutions. In some cases the build- 
ing was outside of the city because of opposition 
by the city authorities, as at Babylon at first, or 
to avoid the pollutions of the Gentile city. But 
custom varied about it. The Jews were fond of 
worshipping by the seashore. In Jerusalem there 
were some four hundred synagogues. Various 
groups of Jews in the city, as Cyrenians, Alex- 
andrians, Cicilians, had separate synagogues 
(Acts 6:9). There was a ruler cf the syna- 
gogue who had charge of the worship and 
the teaching. Services were held on the Sab- 



Life in Palestine First Century. 39 

bath and once or twice on week days. The 
young were taught the Old Testament (cf. our 
Sunday school). The Old Testament was read 
in the Hebrew and explained in the Aramaic. In 
the communities where Greek was understood 
the Scripture would be read in Greek. An oppor- 
tunity was allowed for exposition of the Scripture 
read. Jesus and Paul often took advantage of 
this privilege to preach the gospel. At first the 
Christians continued to worship in the synagogue 
and thus reached also many devout Gentiles who 
attended. 

11. The Canon. 

The Jews of Palestine had a threefold collec- 
tion of Hebrew Scripture (the law of Moses, the 
prophets, the psalms, Luke 24: 44), which cor- 
responds practically with the present Old Testa- 
ment. They differed about the acceptance of 
Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. In Alex- 
andria and the west generally, where the Septua- 
gint was used, the Apocrypha of the Old Testa- 
ment was added. The Septuagint circulated also 
in Palestine and is quoted in the New Testament 
more frequently than the Hebrew text. Paul and 
James, in particular, seem to be acquainted also 
with some of the books in the Old Testament 
Apocrypha. There were also a number of 
apocalypses after the pattern of Daniel that were 
widely used, though not part of the canon. These 
books (like 2 Esdras, the book of Enoch, Testa- 
ments of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Jewish 



40 Studies in the New Testament. 

Sybilline Oracles) were presented under the 
names of older saints to gain a hearing, and are 
doubtful as to date. They present the less cere- 
monial and formal and more passionate and spir- 
itual side of Jewish life. They appeal from the 
woes of the present to the promises of future 
good (eschatology) and deal largely in symbols 
(cf. the Book of Revelation). The Targums are 
paraphrases or interpretations of the Hebrew Old 
Testament in Aramaic. The Talmud is com- 
posed of the Mishna (comment on the Old Tes- 
tament), and the Gemara (comment on the 
Mishna), but none of it was written till 200 A.D. 

12. The Oral Law. 

The instruction (called Midrash) about the 
canonical books was of this sort. The Halakah 
was what was obligatory (rules of conduct), the 
Haggadah was what was illustrative or anedoctal 
and not binding. This oral law was the tradi- 
tion of the elders which the Jews of Christ's time 
came to put in the place of the Old Testament 
(Mark 7: 9, 13). They covered up the Word of 
God with their comments about it. Finally they 
regarded the comment as of more value than the 
text itself. Out of this came the Talmud at last, 
when much of it was written down. They 
claimed at last that the oral law came from Moses. 
Most of this oral teaching is extremely tedious 
and minutely hairsplitting over petty points. 



Life in Palestine First Century. 41 

13. The Scribes. 

The Old Testament does not know these 
teachers of the law. They arose during the exile. 
They are students and teachers of the oral and of 
the written law and correspond to our modern 
preachers and lawyers combined. They are some- 
times termed lawyers. They were a powerful 
class of professional teachers and trained up 
pupils (disciples) to carry on their work. They 
were usually Pharisees, but not always, as the 
priests and Levites were usually Sadducees. 

14. Two Schools of Theology. 

In Jerusalem the Pharisees had two schools of 
theology, popularly called, respectively, the 
school of Hillel and the school of Shammai. Hillel 
was the grandfather of Gamaliel I, under whom 
Paul studied. His school represented a more lib- 
eral type of Pharisaism, while that of Shammai 
follows the stricter interpretation. They are 
sometimes called the "Two Pairs/' The schools 
met in the temple courts and the rabbis trained 
here in current Pharisaic orthodoxy were those 
who opposed the teaching of Jesus. They dis- 
liked the Apocalyptic writers as well as the Sad- 
ducees. Beth of the schools were quite strict 
from the standpoint of Philo in Alexandria. 

15. The Pharisees. 

This sect was originally, like the Sadducees, 
a political party also, till the Romans took over 



42 Studies in the Neiv Testament. 

all state affairs. Their origin is obscure, but they 
were the exponents of traditional Judaism, as op- 
posed to the Hellenizing tendencies of the times 
and the strict position of the Sadducees against 
the oral law. The Pharisees and Sadducees had 
keen political rivalry for power under the later 
Maccabees. The Pharisees finally won the ear 
of the masses and were aggressive in their defense 
and promulgation of Judaism. The two schools 
of Hillel and Shammai represent two tendencies 
that appear in the Gospels. Some Pharisees seem 
friendly to Jesus (school of Hillel), others are 
violently hostile (school of Shammai). Probably 
the latter are those especially denounced as hypo- 
crites by John the Baptist and by Jesus. But both 
schools laid the emphasis on the external and the 
ceremonial to the neglect of the inward and spir- 
itual. They expected a political Messiah and a 
political kingdom of God. Most of Pharisaic 
teaching is, of course, true. 

16. The Sadducees. 

They are largely negative in the rejection of 
the oral law, the denial of the resurrection and 
of angels and of divine sovereignty and of the 
future life, all of which the Pharisees affirmed. 
They became also the champions of the Graeco- 
Roman culture, captured most of the priestly 
class, and were a sort of religious and intellectual 
aristocracy. Annas and Caiaphas were Saddu- 
cees and the chief priests generally. Their num- 
ber was small but influential. 



Life in Palestine First Century, 43 

17. The Essenes. 

This curious sect withdrew to the wilderness 
of Judea, eschewed marriage, kept aloof from the 
temple, and were a mystical group who combined 
some Pharisaic beliefs with Persian and Greek 
philosophy and oriental religion (worship of the 
sun). They were ascetic in life and fatalistic 
in doctrine (opposing the Sadducees), while the 
Pharisees held to divine sovereignty and human 
free agency. The effort to show that John the 
Baptist was an Essene has not succeeded. 

18. The Publicans. 

The Romans employed a class of men termed 
publicans (public servants, piiblicani) to collect 
the taxes for them. The Jews who did this were 
very much disliked and were regarded almost as 
traitors. Besides, many of them used extortion 
and graft and greatly oppressed the people (cf. 
the charge by John the Baptist and the confession 
of Zaccheus). Therefore they were coupled with 
"sinners" and "harlots" in popular estimation. 



19. Agriculture. 

Palestine was an agricultural country, the land 
of the olive, the fig and the vine. In the valleys 
wheat and barley were cultivated. The land was 
fertile when handled properly and the Jews were 
skillful farmers. Sheep were reared in large 
numbers as well as goats. The life of the shep- 
herd was typical of the hill country. It was in 
the Dispersion that the Jews learned to become 
merchants and bankers. 



44 Studies in the New Testament. 

20. The Condition of Women. 

It was far better than in most oriental lands. 
Motherhood was glorified and children were 
counted as treasures from the Lord. Women 
were not considered accursed nor treated as 
slaves. They were the home-makers and the 
teachers of the young. Occasionally (Miriam 
and Deborah) they sprang to the fore as leaders, 
but in Palestine woman had not won the position 
of freedom which Christianity has given her. Je- 
sus rose above the prejudices of the times in his 
attitude toward woman. 

21. The Zealots and the Destruction of Jerusalem. 

This tremendous event took place A.D. 70, when 
Titus, the Roman general, overcame the Jews 
who had revolted against Rome. The Zealots 
were responsible fcr this revolt with its sad out- 
come. The downfall of Jerusalem with the 
destruction of the temple marked a new era in 
Jewish history. The Sadducees disappeared. 
The gorgeous worship in the temple vanished. 
Judaism had to readjust itself to the new relation 
with Christianity and heathenism. The Jewish 
state was at an end. 

22. List of Roman Emperors in the First Century. 

Augustus till A.D. 14; Tiberius till A.D. 37; 
Caligula till A.D. 41 ; Claudius till A.D. 54; Nero 
till A.D. 68. 

After Nero came the brief reigns of Galba, 
Otho, Vitellius. 



Life in Palestine First Century. 45 

Vespasian made emperor A.D. 69; Titus made 
emperor A.D. 79; Domitian made emperor A.D. 
81 ; Nerva made emperor A.D. 96; Trajan made 
emperor A.D. 98. 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 



I. 


Date of the conquest of Palestine. 


2. 


Proconsul, propraetor, procurator. 


3. 


The Herods. 


4. 


The languages used in Palestine. 


5. 


Divisions of Palestine during the ministry 


of Jesus. 


6. 


Pontius Pilate. 


7. 


The Feasts. 


8. 


The Sanhedrin. 


9. 


The synagogue. 


10. 


The Jewish literature. - 


11. 


The Traditions of the Elders. 


12. 


The Scribes. 


13. 


Theological Teaching. 


14. 


The Pharisees. 


i5- 


The Sadducees. 


16. 


The Essenes. 


17. 


Social life in Palestine. 


18. 


Destruction of Jerusalem. 


19. 


Roman emperors of the First Century A.D. 



PART II. 
THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 



CHAPTERS OF PART II. 

III. The Forerunner. 

IV. The Messiah's Birth and Training. 
V. The Brief Ministry of Jesus. 

VI. The Tragedy in Jerusalem. 
VII. The Resurrection of Jesus. 



CHAPTER HI. 



THE FORERUNNER. 



1. Zacharias (Luke 1: 5-23, 62-79). 

The picture of this aged priest waiting for his 
turn to serve in the temple is an illustration of 
how God works with men. He was to fulfill 
his duty in ordinary course and in so doing he 
met the angel Gabriel with his great message. 
Thus the New Testament era opened with the 
supernatural. God reached forth his hand to pre- 
pare a way of righteousness for men, the gospel 
of grace to take the place of the bondage of the 
law. The doubt of Zacharias was punished by 
his temporary dumbness. The people knew by 
his signs that he had seen a vision. The message 
of the angel described in bold outline the charac- 
ter and work of the promised son. Zacharias 
was old before he was called upon to serve in the 
temple. He was righteous and upright and shows 
in his address, when his tongue was loosed at the 
naming of John, a rich knowledge of the prophets 
and a spiritual insight into the work of redemp- 
tion. He was certainly not a skeptical Sadducee 
nor a reactionary Pharisee. He may have been 
under the influence of the apocalyptic writings 
till he was filled with the Holy Spirit. His piety 
was of a genuine type. 

4 (49) 



50 Studies in the New Testament. 

2. Elizabeth (Luke 1: 5, 24f, 39-45, 57-61). 

This aged woman bore herself nobly in her 
day of pride and glory. She was filled with the 
Holy Spirit and recognized the purpose of God 
concerning her and Mary. The meeting of these 
two women was one of holy joy. She had evi- 
dently been told the message of Gabriel to Zach- 
arias (by writing, as he was now dumb), and 
believed it wholly and insisted on the name John 
for the child. She was worthy to be the mother 
of the great reformer and preacher and to walk 
by the side of Zacharias. 

3. The Home in the Hills (Luke 1: 39). 

Somewhere in the hill country of Judea this 
pious couple lived. Here they reared the child 
of promise with glowing hope in their hearts. We 
must think of many a Scripture lesson, many a 
walk in the hills, many a talk about God's pur- 
pose for the growing boy. There was the in- 
evitable pang in the hearts of Zacharias and Eliza- 
beth, for their very age made it certain that they 
would not live to see the fulfillment of the promise 
in the work of John. They could only rear him 
for God and then go, but they could go in trust 
and confidence. 

4. Wajting in the Desert (Luke 1: 80). 

Little is told of these years. He "was in the 
deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel" 
(Luke I : 8o). It is practically certain that John 
waited till the death of his parents before he be- 



The Forerunner. 51 

took himself to the wilderness. Perhaps they had 
suggested this course to him as a suitable prepara- 
tion for his great work. There he could reflect 
on the Old Testament prophecies, commune with 
God, and search his own spirit. The Essenes 
dwelt in certain parts of the wilderness of Judea, 
but there is no evidence of their peculiar tenets 
in John's preaching. He led, of necessity, an 
abstemious life of simplicity and healthfulness. 
The desert left many marks on his preaching in 
the illustrations drawn from life (the vipers, the 
rocks, the tree, the axe, etc.). It is hard to wait, 
but John kept watching for the call to cry. He 
was full thirty years old before it came. 

5. Crying in the Wilderness (Matthew 3: 1-4; Mark 
1: 2-4; Luke 3: If; John 1: 23). 

The word of the Lord came unto John and he 
was ready for it. He had been listening eagerly 
for it. He came to the region round about Jor- 
dan, going farther north to be near the water. 
The wilderness of Judea embraced about a third 
of Judea proper. It extended from a little north 
of Jericho down to the south end of the Dead Sea. 
It was not destitute of vegetation and some people 
lived in it, desolate as much of it was. The River 
Jordan is one of the main features of Palestine. 
There were many fords up and down the river 
suitable for baptizing the great crowds. John 
was a striking figure in his rough robe of camel's 
hair cloth, reminding his hearers of Elijah of old. 
It was a lone cry and a forlorn one, but he be- 



52 Studies in the New Testament. 

lieved sincerely in his mission. He dared to an- 
nounce a new era and to call men to repentance. 
He did this before he saw or apparently knew 
the Messiah in person. He had sublime faith in 
God's message to him. He claimed the fulfill- 
ment of the prophecy of Isaiah and announced 
the advent of the Messianic reign, the realization 
of the hope that had cheered Israel through its 
darkest hours. The very daring of the man 
created a sensation. Soon all Judea and Jerusa- 
lem had gone to the wilderness to see and hear 
this new and strange preacher from the hills. 

6. Rebuking the Age (Matthew 3: 5-10; Mark 1: 4-6; 
Luke 3: 3-14). 

Like the prophets of old, he lashed the people 
for their sins. They deserved his stern words, 
and they knew it. The multitudes were smitten 
in conscience as John called upon them to "turn" 
• ("repent," a very unfortunate translation). He 
urged the nearness of the kingdom of heaven as 
reason for wholesale turning to the Lord. The 
people responded in great throngs, confessing 
their sins. John's new ordinance of baptism 
challenged the sincerity of all. The outward sign 
symbolized the inward turning to God as Paul 
explained later (Romans 6: 4f), death, burial, 
and resurrection. As the crowds came up out of 
the Jordan they witnessed to the world that they 
had left the old life behind and had entered upon 
the new life of allegiance to the Messiah who 
was at hand. The Jews later had proselyte bap- 



The Forerunner. 53 

tism (immersion also), but we do not know 
whether it was used so early as this. The heathen 
religions also had ordinances of initiation in water 
(and even in blood of bulls, cf. the taurobolium 
of Mithraism) , but John's baptism had no con- 
nection with any of these. He had no ecclesias- 
tical relations with priest or rabbi, but derived his 
authority and his ordinance from God. In reality, 
he was treating the Jews as heathen in demand- 
ing that they repent and be baptized. He dis- 
counted their claim to be children of Abraham 
as not sufficient. He thus indicted the whole 
age (Jew and Gentile). The religious leaders 
(Pharisees and Sadducees) of the day came to 
see for themselves what it was about, but with 
no thought of repentance or baptism. John met 
them with scathing exposure of their hypocrisy : 
, 'Ye offspring of vipers/' he cried, "who warned 
you to flee from the wrath to come?" He had 
seen the vipers scurry to the rocks when in dan- 
ger from fire. The only hope for them was to 
bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. These 
bigoted ecclesiastics were largely responsible for 
the lamentable condition of the people as to reli- 
gion and morals. John is equally pointed in his 
remarks to the publicans with their graft, and the 
soldiers with their high-handed oppression. It 
was plain to see that a man as well as a prophet 
had appeared in Israel, one who stood unabashed 
before those in high stations, who understood the 
weakness of the men of his day, and who had 
the courage to lay them bare. A new era had 



54 Studies in the New Testament. 

dawned, a time of pulsing reality instead of dry 
rabbinism or vague apocalypticism. John struck 
the moral nerve and it twitched. 

7. Picturing the Messiah (Matthew 3: llf; Mark 1: 

7f; Luke 3: 15-18). 

The blazing power of John's message led many 
to wonder if he were not himself the Messiah 
(Luke 3: 15). But John would have none of 
this flattery. He described the Messiah as com- 
ing after him and as far mightier than he, as one 
the latchet of whose shoes he was unworthy to 
stoop down and unloose. He shall baptize with 
the Holy Spirit and with fire, probably with the 
double notion of blessing and of judgment. He 
carries the picture out by the illustration of the 
fan that separates the wheat from the chaff. It 
is bold apocalyptic imagery, but John perceives 
the spiritual nature of the Messiah's mission. Cer- 
tainly John looked not for a mere political king 
as the Pharisees did nor for a mere introducer 
of an age of destruction and of despair. He held 
out hope to those who greeted the Messiah with 
loyal heart service. So vivid is his description 
that the crowds would turn to see where the Mes- 
siah was. 

8. Baptizing Jesus (Matthew 3: 13-17; Mark 1: 9-11; 

Luke 3: 21f). 

John was probably on the lookout for the ap- 
pearance of the Messiah as he baptized the crowds 
in the Jordan. He had been given a sign by 



The Forerunner. 55 

which he would be able to recognize the Messiah, 
the descent of the Holy Spirit (John 1 : 33). But 
when one day Jesus of Nazareth stood by the 
Jordan and asked for baptism at the hands of 
John, he instinctively felt that here at last was 
the Messiah of promise (Matthew 3: 14). He 
felt his own need of baptism at the hands of the 
new candidate. The presence of the Messiah 
convicted John of his own sin and need of a Sa- 
viour. Jesus admitted the correctness of John's 
attitude, but insisted that on this occasion he must 
receive baptism from John to fulfill all righteous- 
ness (Matthew 3: 15). It would be incongruous 
for the Messiah to pass by the message and ordi- 
nance of the Forerunner, though he had no sins 
to confess like the rest. So the two men of des- 
tiny face each other in the Jordan. As Jesus 
comes out of the water, the Holy Spirit descends 
upon him like a dove, and the Father in an audible 
voice addresses him in terms of approval. John 
had seen his sign. He had now in reality ful- 
filled his mission. 

9. The Commission from Jerusalem (John 1: 19-28). 

John kept on with his work even after baptiz- 
ing Jesus. He would help on the mission of the 
Messiah and not be a shirker. But his very suc- 
cess and devotion brought a fresh complication. 
In spite of his fierce denunciation of the Phari- 
sees and Sadducees, we read that the Pharisees 
had a commission cf priests and Levites (John 1 : 
19, 24) from Jerusalem, apparently from the 



56 Studies in the New Testament. 

Sanhedrin, to make formal inquiry of John as to 
his claims about himself. Possibly the Pharisees 
conceived that such an inquiry would embarrass 
both John and the Sadducees. At any rate, John 
was vehement in his disclaimer about being 
the Messiah or Elijah as they understood the 
prophecy about Elijah. He was simply the voice 
of one crying in the wilderness. As a matter of 
fact, the Messiah already stood in their midst, 
but they did not recognize him. 

10. Identifying Jesus as the Messiah (John 1: 29-36). 

On two successive days, while John was at 
Bethany beyond Jordan, he pointed out Jesus as 
the Messiah, "Lamb of God, which taketh away 
the sin of the world" (John i : 26f, 36). It was 
a joy to John to bear this explicit testimony in 
public to Jesus as the Son of God (John 1 : 34), 
having heard the witness of the Father at the 
baptism of Jesus. There the crowd was appar- 
ently absent. It is objected by some that John's 
testimony to the deity and the humanity of Jesus 
sounds like a later theology ; it can be replied that 
the Messiah was John's passion. The description 
of the Messiah as the Paschal Lamb was open to 
him in the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah. It is 
gratuitous to limit John to the narrow theology 
of the Pharisees whom he denounced. Precisely 
because he was different from them and from the 
apocalyptists he began a new epoch. And yet he 
found a standing place in the Old Testament. 



The Forerunner. 57 

11. Freedom from Jealousy (John 3: 22-36). 

John went on with his work with a glad heart. 
He had net spoken in vain. He had lived to see 
his words about the Messiah come true. He could 
now speak with a new accent of positiveness. But 
the disciples of John looked with displeasure at 
the growing popularity of Jesus and the waning 
fame of John. They came and told John about 
it and almost blamed John for his witness to 
Jesus (John 3: 26). But they understood John 
very superficially. He appealed to their knowl- 
edge of his disclaimer about the Messiahship. He 
is simply the friend of the bridegroom and must 
now step aside. "He must increase, but I must 
decrease." The effort to 'stir envy in John's heart 
failed utterly. His cup of joy is full. 

12. Denouncing Herod and Herodias (Luke 3: 19f; 

Matthew 14: 4; Mark 6: 18). 

We do not know the precise occasion that led 
John to express his opinion on the subject of the 
adulterous marriage between Herod Antipas and 
Herodias. She had divorced her husband (Herod 
Philip of Rome) and he his wife (daughter of 
Aretas of Arabia) in order to consummate the 
shameful union. He may have been asked about 
it by someone in the audience, as the Jews were 
outraged at the situation. One of the Pharisees 
may have asked the question in order to get John 
into trouble and then have told Herod about it. 
It is even possible that Herod Antipas, having 
heard of it, was induced to invite John to his 



58 Studies in the New Testament. 

summer palace at Machaerus. At any rate, John 
said to Herod : "It is not lawful for thee to have 
her" (Matthew 14: 4; Mark 6: 18). Herodias 
would never forgive him for that insult (Mark 
6: 19). John was not a man to reckon the con- 
sequences to himself w T hen face to face with duty. 
He would not condone wickedness in public offi- 
cials in order to save his own head. 

13. In Prison (Matthew 14: 3; Mark 6: 17; Luke 

3: 19f). 

Luke (3 : igi ) expressly says that Herod 
Antipas shut up John in prison because of his 
reproof to him and Herodias, as do Matthew 
(14: 3), and Mark (6: 17). Josephus attributes 
the arrest of John to the public disorder occa- 
sioned by his preaching. Both explanations are 
possible (one the public view, the other the pri- 
vate cause). In the prison at Machaerus, John 
was allowed to see his friends who came, but his 
public activities were at an end. Time went by 
and Jesus did nothing to get him out, and the 
shadows fell around John. Herod had spells of 
liking and disliking him and feared the people. 
But Herodias never wavered in her determina- 
tion to have him put to death. She bided her 
time. 

14. The Message to Jesus (Matthew 11: 2-6; Luke 

7: 18-23). 

The news brought to John by his disciples of 
the marvelous deeds of Jesus stirred him to send 



The Forerunner, 59 

an embassy to Jesus with the query whether, 
after all, he was the Messiah. This doubt of 
John, after his positive proclamation and identi- 
fication of Jesus as the Messiah, has puzzled 
many. One must bear in mind the depressing 
effect of John's surroundings. The chill, damp, 
dark dungeon was in marked contrast to the fresh 
air and sunlight of the hills and to the enthusi- 
asm of the crowds by the Jordan. He languished 
about a year in this prison. Why did not the 
Messiah set him free? At any rate, a word of 
reassurance would be comforting to John. The 
reply of Jesus to John was calculated to 
strengthen his faith. 

15. Christ's Estimate of John (Matthew 11: 7-19; 
Luke 7: 24-35). 

After the messengers of John left, Jesus de- 
livered a wonderful tribute to John as prophet, 
as a man of courage, as one of the epoch-making 
men of all time, introducing the new dispensa- 
tion, as the greatest of men measured by God's 
standard of purity, loyalty and courage. He was 
no time-server. The people and the publicans 
honored John, while the Pharisees and the law- 
yers rejected him as they did Jesus. John was 
too unlike other people (ascetic), while Jesus was 
too much like other people, "the friend of pub- 
licans and sinners." The critics of these two 
preachers are reproduced in all the ages. 



60 Studies in the New Testament. 

16. The Death of John (Matthew 14: 1-12; Mark 6: 
14-29; Luke 9: 7-9). 

It came on a night of revelry. Herodias 
stooped very low to carry her point. She al- 
lowed her daughter Salome to dance an oriental 
dance before a crowd of drunken revellers at 
Herod's banquet. In his maudlin condition he, 
with an oath, offered the girl anything she wished. 
At her mother's request she asked for and ob- 
tained the head of John, brought to her on a 
charger. The sight of that head stayed with 
Herod who, later, thought that Jesus was John 
the Baptist come to life again. The disciples of 
John gave his body honorable burial and "went 
and told Jesus." It was a sad message for him 
and was a prophecy of his own fate (Matthew 
17: 12). Jesus recognized the service that John 
had rendered and honored his memory and life. 
He had joyfully put himself in touch with the 
Forerunner rather than with the ecclesiastics of 
the day (Matthew 21: 25; Mark 11: 30; Luke 
20 : 4). John made the work of Jesus easier. He 
prepared the soil for Christ. The first disciples 
of Jesus came from the circle of John's followers 
(John 1: 37-42). He ploughed up the fresh 
earth in which Jesus sowed the seed of the king- 
dom. 



The Forerunner. Q1 

TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

i. The priests. 

2. The hill country of Judea. 

3. The wilderness of Judea. Desert life. 

4. Repentance. 

5. Baptism. 

6. The River Jordan. 

7. The baptism of Jesus. 

8. The loyalty of John to Jesus. 

9. Preachers and politics. 

10. Machaerus. 

11. The greatness of John the Baptist. 

12. The kingdom of God. 

13. The term Messiah. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE MESSIAH'S BIRTH AND TRAINING. 



1. The Sources of Our Knowledge of Jesus. 

A few items are given in the Acts and the 
Epistles, but chiefly there we have interpretations 
of the work of Jesus on earth and in heaven. The 
Gospels supply us with what details we have. The 
most probable order in the writing of the Gospels 
is Mark, Matthew, Luke, John. The dates are 
not definitely know T n, but since Luke wrote his 
Gospel before the Acts, which seems to have been 
written in Rome while Luke was with Paul (A.D. 
60-63), it is probable that the Gospel of Luke was 
composed while Luke was with Paul in Csesarea 
and in touch with the sources of information at 
hand, both oral and written (Luke 1: 1-4). 
These sources may have included Mark, Mat- 
thew and other documents like Logia (sayings) 
of Jesus. Some fragments of such sayings of 
Jesus have been discovered in the papyri of Egypt. 
The Gospel of Matthew may have been written 
originally in Aramaic or in Greek and, like Luke, 
the author probably used written and oral infor- 
mation. Mark's Gospel is the briefest, and is 
mainly narrative. Mark is said to have acted 
as interpreter for Peter who apparently spoke 

(62) 



Messiah's Birth and Training. (53 

Aramaic more fluently than Greek. Mark took 
notes of Peter's discourses about Jesus. Mark's 
Gospel is the Roman Gospel, Matthew's the Jewish, 
Luke's the universal, and John's the spiritual 
Gospel. John probably wrote towards the end of 
the century and for the purpose of proving the 
deity of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. 
Matthew, Mark and Luke cover very much the 
same ground and are therefore called the synoptic 
Gospels. John's Gospel chiefly supplements the 
synoptic account and is largely in the form of 
dialogue. The style is different, but of rare sim- 
plicity and charm. Criticism challenges many 
things about the Gospels, but in broad outline 
the records probably came as described above. 
The earliest known accounts interpret Jesus as 
the Son of God as well as the Son of man, and 
show that he received worship and claimed 
equality with God and was conscious of his 
mission to men as Redeemer from sin. He was 
not a man who was deified by others, but he man- 
ifested God in his person and work and claimed 
to be able to save men from sin. 

2. The Supernatural. 

At once we are confronted with our attitude 
toward the supernatural. We must decide 
whether in Christ we have only a good man show- 
ing us how to come to God by following his 
example, or Gcd making direct approach to men 
so as to reveal himself to men and win the world 
back to him. In other words, we have to con- 



64 Studies in the New Testament. 

sider whether Jesus is a mere product of evolu- 
tion or is the entrance of God into man. The 
distinction is important from every point of view. 
If Jesus is only a man who gives us his opinion 
about God, he is interesting and helpful so far 
as he sets us a good example, but is not an object 
of worship and Saviour from sin. If, as we be- 
lieve and know, he is the Son of God who died 
on the cross for the sins of the world, there is 
no ground for doubt about the presence of God 
in unusual ways in the life, death and resurrec- 
tion of Jesus Christ. There is no need, therefore, 
of being on the defensive in the matter. Fortu- 
nately today science is much less disposed to be 
dogmatic about what can or cannot be true. The 
wonders of nature make one willing to see that 
God is not limited in his ways of doing things. 
Above all, we have the witness in our own hearts 
to the salvation through Christ. We do not deny 
the rights of criticism to examine any detail in 
the New Testament and to reach conclusions ac- 
cording to all the evidence. We do deny that a 
presumption against the supernatural can be laid 
down at the start. That is mere prejudice. God 
is. We start with that. God works. God loves, 
God sent his Son to save us. If we get that far, 
the rest is easy. No other miracle is comparable 
to the miracle of sending his Son. The Virgin 
Birth, the Resurrection from the dead, the As- 
cension are not hard to believe then. The signs 
and powers wrought by Jesus are all incidents, 
however important and significant, compared with 



Messiah's Birth and Training. g5 

the great fact of the coming of the Son of God 
to earth in human form. In these studies we 
make no effort to sift each incident by critical 
processes. 

3. The Single Picture. 

There is no life of Jesus. Neither of the Gos- 
pels is that nor professes to be. Each is a selec- 
tion from the vast material at command for the 
purpose in hand. Not all the four Gospels to- 
gether give a life of Christ. The world could 
hardly contain the narrative of all that Jesus did 
and said (John 21 : 25), though he himself wrote 
nothing at all. The purpose of John is to win 
men to faith in Jesus as the Son of God, and so 
to life through him (20: 31). No one then has 
written a real life of Jesus. The rest of the de- 
tails of his life are not preserved. The apocryphal 
gospels are worthless. The uncanonical sayings 
of Jesus preserved by early Christian writers 
have interest and value, but they are very few. 
To tell what is known in a full and connected 
manner with all problems faced and discussed 
(matters of history, topography, archaeology, 
theology, sociology, ethics, criticism, language) 
would require more books than one man can 
write or read with ease. We shall probably never 
have a life of Christ on an adequate scale. And 
yet it is not difficult to see the unity of concep- 
tion in the Gospels. They, after all, give the same 
picture cf the man Christ Jesus. 



gg Studies in the New Testament. 

4. The Son of God. 

This is what Jesus was called by the angel 
Gabriel in speaking to Mary (Luke i: 32), by 
the Father at the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1 : 11), 
by the Gospels often (John 20: 31), and several 
times by Jesus himself. It is clear from a passage 
like Matthew 11 : 25-30 that Jesus is not Son of 
God in the sense that other men are, but in a 
peculiar relation true only of him as "God only- 
begotten" (John 1 : 18). He is God's only- 
begotten Son and is the express image of the sub- 
stance of God (Hebrew 1 : 2f), very God of very 
God. The deity of Jesus therefore is manifest in 
many ways. 

5. The Son of Man. 

And yet Jesus is also Son of man. He is born 
of. woman and bears our human nature save only 
that he is free from sin. He could be hungry, 
suffer pain, grow weary, enter into human joys 
and sorrows like other men. He was more than 
a man. He was the typical man, the representa- 
tive man, the ideal man, the Son of mankind, the 
perfect man. He combines in himself both God 
and man and is the God-man. Thus he is able to 
offer salvation to all who come to him. Thus 
he is able to help the weak and the erring. Thus 
he has the bond of human sympathy and of di- 
vine power. His love is effective love and not 
mere sentiment. In a word, Jesus is the Messiah 
of promise (Prophet, Priest and King), the con- 
summation of the ages, the hope of all the race. 



Messiah's Birth and Training. (37 

6. The Message of Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1: 26-38). 

The wonderful words to Mary may well have 
"greatly troubled" her. She saw the high honor 
in being the mother of the Messiah, the hope of 
Israel. She saw also something of the embar- 
rassing situation in which she would be placed. 
But she was willing to be "the handmaid of the 
Lord." The story is told with great delicacy and 
nobility. The name "Jesus" for the child is given 
by the angel and his career is sketched in bold 
outline. He will be the Son of the Most High, 
the Son of God. The fact of the Virgin Birth is 
here presented by Luke from the standpoint of 
Mary. Luke may have gotten the story from 
Mary herself, or from one of her friends, while in 
Caesarea or Jerusalem. The child will have the 
throne of his father David, though only in a spir- 
itual sense, not as a political king. The house of 
Jacob over which he will rule is the people or 
kingdom of God. This kingdom shall have no 
end. One is reminded at once of the promise in 
2 Samuel J and in Psalm 89, as expounded later 
by Christ in Matthew 16 : i8f. Mary had found 
favor with God and was in every way worthy of 
her great dignity. 

7. Mary and Elizabeth (Luke 1: 39-56). 

It was a woman's problem, and Mary needed 
counsel. She went in haste to see Elizabeth, her 
kinswoman in the hill country of Judea, who was 
within three months of the birth of John the 



gg Studies in the Netv Testament. 

Forerunner of the Messiah as the angel had said. 
These two women of destiny met each other with 
great joy, and instantly Elizabeth knew what 
was to be true of Mary. Elizabeth was filled with 
the Holy Ghost and saluted Mary as the mother 
of her Lord and as blessed among women. The 
response of Mary (the Magnificat) is very noble 
and reminds one of Hannah in I Samuel 2. It 
breathes the atmosphere 'of the best of the Psalms 
and reveals in Mary a spirit of rare piety and ele- 
vation. She sees that God is, through her, fulfill- 
ing his promise to Abraham to bless all genera- 
tions, and is full of humility at the great part 
given to her through God's mercy. God is her 
Saviour and her Son is to be the Saviour-God of 
the world. Mary seems to have remained with 
Elizabeth (Luke 1 : 26, 56f ) till just before or 
just after the birth of John the Baptist. She went 
back to her home in Nazareth with a heart all 
a-flutter with hope and wonder. 

8. The Message to Joseph (Matthew 1: 18-25). 

It is Matthew who gives us this side of the won- 
derful story from the standpoint of Joseph. Ap- 
parently Mary did not say anything to Joseph, 
her betrothed, concerning the message of the 
angel. What could she say? But the time came 
when Joseph had to know, and did know. Be- 
trothal with the Jews was very sacred, and 
Joseph wished to put her away privately and not 
to "make a public example/' as he had a legal 
right to do, for he was a righteous man. Evi- 



Messiah's Birth and Training. g9 

dently Joseph must be enlightened. So the angel 
Gabriel told Joseph the truth about Mary and he 
took her as wife and tenderly protected her. The 
promise explains the name "J esus " f° r the child, 
"for he it is that shall save the people from their 
sins." A fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 
7: 14 is seen in the Virgin Birth of Jesus, who 
will be called also Immanuel (God with us). 
Joseph bore himself nobly in his trying situation. 

9. The Time of the Birth of Jesus (Luke 2: If). 

The ancients were not precise in giving dates 
according to our modern standards. And yet 
Luke gives two notes of time. One was the world 
census under the Emperor Augustus. The other 
locates it at the first enrollment under Quirinius, 
governor of Syria. Both of these points have 
been obscure to us, though clear enough to the 
readers of the Gospel of Luke, until quite re- 
cently. It is now known from the papyri of 
Egypt that Augustus had a periodical census 
every fourteen years. The years are also known, 
but in the provinces the census was not always 
carried out expeditiously. It used to be objected 
that Quirinius was not governor of Syria but 
once and that was A.D. 6 as Josephus shows. 
But Sir W. M. Ramsay, w T ho made the discovery 
about the census just mentioned, has also found 
an inscription which shows that Quirinius was 
sent to Syria in connection with the previous cen- 
sus. The only point still obscure is the precise 
year when Jesus was born. We know clearly that 



70 Studies in the Netv Testament. 

A.D. i, the year figured out in the sixth century 
by Dionysius Exiguus, is wrong. Jesus was born 
before the death of Herod the Great (Matthew 
2: 1-12). We know from Josephus that Herod 
died B.C. 4. Therefore, B.C. 5 seems to be the 
latest possible year, and, on the whole, the most 
probable year for the birth of Jesus. Various 
lines of argument seem to converge on this year, 
though the census above rather argues for a date 
a year or two earlier. We know absolutely noth- 
ing as to the time of year when the birth took 
place. The presence of the shepherds on the hills 
at night seems to preclude winter, and that is all 
that we can say. The month and the day are not 
preserved. 

10. The Place (Luke 2: 3-7). 

We know now that the census of Augustus 
required that everyone go to his own city. It 
was not merely a Jewish custom, but an imperial 
custom. Thus the family records were kept in- 
tact. In due course, therefore, the ruler of the 
world is unconsciously the human agent in mak- 
ing it true that the birth of Jesus take place at 
Bethlehem, the city of David, the ancestor of 
Joseph and apparently also of Mary. The town 
was the home of Boaz (and of Ruth after her 
adoption) and of David. It still exists. The long 
journey was inevitably a severe strain upon Mary. 
She probably had only a donkey to ride from 
Nazareth to Bethlehem. The census had brought 
many others to Bethlehem at the same time. The 



Messiah's Birth and Training. 7\ 

inns or caravansaries were none too large, any- 
how, and literally ''there was no room for them 
in the inn." No stranger among the guests took 
pity upon Mary and offered her his room. The 
only place for her and Joseph was one of the 
cattle stalls, probably under the inn down the 
hillside. There the Saviour of the world was 
born, was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid 
in a manger. Jesus, rich beyond all comparison 
as God's Son, had left the glory of heaven to be- 
come poor that we might be made rich in him 
(2 Corinthians 8:9). 

11. Announced by Angels (Luke 2: 8-14). 

The birth of the Babe in the stable at the inn 
made small commotion there. It was only one 
child more in a world of struggle and trial, one 
little boy with the future unknown, but with hope 
and promise. But Mary knew what the angel 
had said. The hour of anguish was her hour of 
glory. And Joseph trusted. Once more "an 
angel of the Lord" appeared. This time to some 
shepherds on the hills near Bethlehem. He an- 
nounced to these common men with simple hearts 
the greatest and best of all tidings, the birth of 
the Saviour, Christ the Lord. He gave the sign 
by which to know the Babe, and suddenly the 
heavenly host burst into song. The correct text 
here (Luke 2: 14) gives us "men of good will," 
rather than "good will among men." As a matter 
of fact, the peace of Christ comes on earth only 
to those who submit themselves to God. These 



72 Studies in the New Testament. 

alone possess the inward peace that passeth all 
understanding. It was meet that heaven should 
thus take note of the great event. The coming 
of Jesus to earth must have made a stir among 
the angels of heaven (i Peter i : 12). 

12. Proclaimed by Shepherds (Luke 2: 15-20). 

The first heralds of the good tidings are thus, 
not the ecclesiastics of Pharisaism, but represent- 
atives of the great common people in touch with 
God and nature. The shepherds saw the Babe and 
told Mary and others what they had seen and 
heard. For the rest, it was a seven-days' wonder 
and passed, but "Mary kept all these sayings, 
pondering them in her heart/' Every detail was 
precious to her. The shepherds went back to 
their flocks, glorifying God. 

13. Recognized by Saints (Luke 2: 21-38). 

The boy was circumcised on the eighth day 
and in due course presented in the temple. Then 
an old man named Simeon knew by the Spirit of 
God that at last his eyes looked upon the Light 
for the Gentiles and the Glory of God's people 
Israel. He was now ready to die, and stirred 
Mary's heart afresh by w r ords of penetration and 
insight about the touch-stone of the life of Jesus 
and the sword that would pierce Mary's own 
heart. Mary's cup was filled full when the aged 
Anna, likewise filled with the Holy Spirit, over- 
flowed with joy at sight of the redemption of 
Jerusalem. But the words of these two aged 



Messiah's Birth and Training. 73 

saints would vanish from most minds as the 
years went by. 

14. Worshiped by Wise Men (Matthew 2: 1-12). 

Back to Bethlehem Joseph and Mary went. 
Then come wise men from the east, guided by 
a star to Jerusalem, and directed to Bethlehem 
by the learning of the chief-priests and scribes 
(Sadducees and Pharisees), who recalled Micah 
5 :2 at the request of Herod the Great, he being 
greatly troubled at the query of the wise men 
concerning a new-born King of the Jews. The 
well-known cruelty of Herod made all Jerusalem 
troubled as to what new outrage Herod would 
now commit. The wise men escaped from Herod 
and found the Babe at Bethlehem. We have to 
leave unsettled the names, country and move- 
ments of these wise men. Astrology was studied 
extensively in Persia, but we do not know the 
number of the wise men nor why they came, ex- 
cept that God led them. God has many ways of 
reaching the hearts of men. Whether the star 
was a comet or a regular star we do not know. 
The learned men in Jerusalem do not worship the 
Babe in Bethlehem, but these wise men from the 
east do. Real learning finds its highest service 
at the feet of Jesus. The wise men are led out 
of Herod's trap to go back another way. 

15. The Jealousy of Herod (Matthew 2: 13-18). 

The rage of Herod at being outwitted by the 
wise men was very great. He had planned to 



74 Studies in the New Testament. 

have this new King of the Jews slain. He had 
put several of his own sons to death and would 
not hesitate now. Hence, he enlarged his plan 
and, to make sure, had slain all the boys in Beth- 
lehem two years old and under. The devil thus 
at the very start uses the power of the state in 
an effort to destroy the work of the Son of God 
on earth. Political oppression has often sought 
to uproot Christianity. 

16. The Rescue of the Babe (Matthew 2: 13f). 

God took care of his Son. Joseph was told 
to flee to Egypt, where he remained a year at 
least, till Herod w T as dead. Perhaps Herod died 
thinking that he had put the new King out of 
his way. Once before God's servant (son) Israel 
had dwelt in Egypt (Hosea n : i). Now, again, 
the other Son of God in the full sense of the term 
is in exile. 

17. The Return to Nazareth (Matthew 2: 19-23; 

Luke 2: 39). 

Joseph had planned to go back to Bethlehem 
to rear the Child there, but, when he learned that 
Archelaus had succeeded Herod the Great, he 
went to Nazareth. When Joseph fled to Egypt, 
the will of Herod was that Antipas should suc- 
ceed him, but he had changed his will once more. 
Archelaus was the worst of the sons still living. 
Thus it came to pass that Jesus was reared in 
Nazareth and was called a Nazarene, though no 
prophecy to that effect is found. He was despised, 



Messiah's Birth and Training. 75 

however, as Nazareth itself was. Nazareth is 
still a town of some size situated on a hill over- 
looking the plain of Esdraelon, and in sight of the 
Mediterranean. It was not far from the line of 
travel, though secluded. 

18. The Family Circle (Mark 6: 3). 

The home in Nazareth was that of the carpen- 
ter (Matthew 13: 55) of the town. It was not 
that of the very humblest peasant, but certainly 
not one of affluence. Joseph probably made a com- 
petency, and had a degree of independence. The 
house was probably one story high, with a large 
room in the center and other rooms adjoining. 
The furniture would be simple and not very much 
of it. The beds would be rolled up by day. There 
would be a table, chairs, water-pots and oven. 
The family grew with the years till Jesus had four 
brothers (James, Joses, Judas, Simon), and sis- 
ters also. They would all take their share in the 
household duties as well as attend the synagogue 
school. Mary would teach them the law of Moses 
and some of the oral law r also. Joseph may have 
had a few rolls of portions of the Old Testament. 
All of it would be in the synagogue. They would 
speak Aramaic and also Greek, and could learn 
to read Hebrew at school. It was a home of 
simple piety, work and love. Joseph was an 
upright man and Mary one of the rarest of all 
women. The most remarkable Boy of all time 
was growing in this home and Joseph and Mary 
kept their great secret. 



76 Studies in the New Testament. 

19. The Growing Child (Luke 2: 40). 

The Child Jesus grew on with the years, full of 
life ("waxed strong") and play, a happy, hearty 
child, with winsome ways and a wistful gaze be- 
yond his years. Mary could see heaven in his 
eyes and he saw love in hers. He was filled with 
wisdom, though still a child, but not a prodigy. 
He did not pose as one above the rest. "The 
grace of God was upon him" and kept him fresh 
and clean as he grew. 

20. The Boy in Jerusalem (Luke 2: 41-51). 

One glimpse alone we get of the boyhood of 
Jesus. How precious that is ! The Boy Jesus is 
in Jerusalem for the first time. He is twelve 
years old and all aglow with interest and zest 
for the great world about him. The temple 
charms him and holds him long after the rest 
are gone, all oblivious of them, rapt with the 
spell of knowing the things that he had been 
yearning after with strange passion of late. The 
Boy Jesus is found sitting in the midst of the 
doctors in the temple asking and answering ques- 
tions with wondrous insight, astonishing the 
doctors by the wisdom of his questions and an- 
swers. The cry from his own astonished heart 
to Mary and Joseph reveals the depth of his 
growing consciousness of a peculiar relation to 
God his Father : "Wist ye not that I must be in 
my Father's house?" He knows, partly at least, 
the great secret about his mission. Oh, the 
golden dreams of a boy's heart as he sees the 



Messiah's Birth and Training. 'J'J 

beckoning hand drawing him on. With full 
hearts Mary and her Boy go back to Nazareth. 
Evidently she must now begin to tell him what 
she knows. 

21. The Youth at the Carpenter's Bench (M<ark 6: 

3; Luke 2: 52). 

As the eldest son of the family, Jesus took up 
the trade of Joseph, his reputed father, and be- 
came himself a carpenter. In time, after the 
death of Joseph, he was apparently known as "the 
carpenter/' So thus Jesus the young man laid 
hold of the problems of work and did his daily 
task at his bench. He belonged to the great 
working class of all the ages and should appeal 
strongly to all honest toilers for their bread. We 
may be sure that Jesus wrought zealously at his 
calling. He was not a mere dreamer, but a 
worker, making benches, tables, chairs, plows, 
whatnot. And yet he was more than a carpen- 
ter. The ring of the hammer was sure, but he 
was ^lso holding communion with his Father in 
preparation for the great day of his revelation to 
Israel as the Messiah. When will that day be? 
He was advancing always in wisdom and stature, 
and in favor with God and man. He was making 
friends in Nazareth. 

22. Mary's Thoughts. 

She was watching the flowering into fruit of 
her bud of hope. She saw the wonderful man 
growing by her side. She understood that he 



78 Studies in the New Testament. 

was to be more than a carpenter. She waited 
through the years. He would soon be thirty years 
old. Zacharias and Elizabeth were dead. Where 
was John the Baptist ? One day Mary heard great 
news from the desert. Did she not tell Jesus ? A 
few more months go by. Mary would now wish 
to tell Jesus all her heart. 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1. The origin of the Gospels. 

2. The supernatural in Christianity. 

3. The Son of God (the Deity of Christ). 

4. The Son of man (the humanity of Christ) 

5. The angel Gabriel. 

6. Mary, the mother of Jesus. 

7. Shepherd life in Palestine. 

8. The Magi. 

9. Joseph, the husband of Mary. 

10. The brother and sisters of Jesus. 

11. The Virgin Birth of Jesus. 

12. The date of Christ's birth. 

13. Bethlehem. 

14. Jewish inns. 

15. Nazareth. 

16. Jewish carpenters. 



CHAPTER V. 



THE BRIEF MINISTRY OF JESUS. 



1. The Length of the Ministry. 

If we had only the synoptic Gospels, we should 
not know that the ministry of Jesus lasted more 
than one year. The synoptic Gospels mention only 
one passover, the one at which Jesus was cruci- 
fied. The Gospel of John mentions three (2: 13; 
6: 4; 12: 1), and the ministry had lasted some 
months before the first. Hence, we know that 
the ministry was some two and a half years in 
length. It probably was three and a half, since, 
even if the feast in John 5 : 1 was not a passover, 
there was in all likelihood another unmentioned 
passover because the work of Christ seems to 
call for that amount of time. 

2. The Date of Entrance Upon the Ministry (Luke 

3: 23). 

We only know that he was about thirty years 
old. This was the usual custom for priests, but 
Jesus was not of the tribe of Levi. John the Bap- 
tist was six months older than Jesus, and appar- 
ently began his ministry also when thirty years 
old. We have seen that Jesus was probably born 
B.C. 5, though the time of year is uncertain. John 

(79) 



80 Studies in the New Testament. 

was in that case born in the early part of B.C. 5, 
or the latter part of B.C. 6. It was probably in 
A.D. 26 (latter part of the year) when Jesus en- 
tered upon his ministry. His death three years 
and a half later would then be spring of A.D. 30, 
or, if only two and a half years later, A.D. 29 
(passover). 

3. The Messianic Introduction (Matthew 3: 13-17; 
Mark 1: 9-11; Luke 3: 21f). 

It is clear that Jesus came to the Jordan to be 
baptized by John with full Messianic conscious- 
ness, and not as a mere penitent like the rest. He 
admits the correctness of John's protest about 
baptizing him, since he had no sins to repent of, 
whose cleansing was tc be symbolized by the new- 
ordinance. But the very first act in the work of 
Jesus as Messiah is to receive baptism at the 
hands of John, and so to connect his work as 
Messiah with that of the Forerunner. This was 
eminently proper in itself, and in recognition of 
John's mission. Jesus received no other human 
attestation. He was not ordained or set apart 
by any council. He had no ecclesiastical or scho- 
lastic endorsement. But he had the conscious- 
ness of oneness with his Father and the clear 
call to the work to which he had now put his 
hands. There came to Jesus also the visible man- 
ifestations of the presence of the Holy Spirit in 
the form of a dove resting upon him and the 
audible approval of the Father in his Beloved 
Son. This was what was worth while. John 



The Brief Ministry of Jesus. 81 

appears to have seen and heard this witness (John 
i : 33f), though apparently no others did, save the 
devil. But through all the coming days of strain 
the heart of Jesus had this great experience to 
cheer him. 

4. The Challenge from Satan (Matthew 4: 1-11; 
Mark 1: 12f; Luke 4: 1-13). 

Mark says that the Spirit drove Jesus into the 
wilderness, and Matthew adds, to be tempted by 
the devil. The temptation was not therefore an 
accident, but was a conscious grappling of the 
two leaders in the struggle for man. The devil 
had overcome Adam and Eve and was keenly 
alive to the importance of defeating the Second 
Adam. The Hope of the race was on trial now. 
Satan knew who Jesus w r as and accepts him as 
the Son of God, but dares to tempt even him. He 
tries him by the doors of hunger, nervous reck- 
lessness and ambition. Jesus meets the devil 
with the Word of God and routs him for the time 
being. He will make no compromise with Satan 
by recognizing his rule of ruin. If one wonders 
how the Son of God could be tempted, he may 
reflect that he would not have been a real man 
otherwise. The victory of Jesus offers hope to 
every tempted man who has the example, sym- 
pathy and power of Christ to help him. The 
devil disputes the path with every man who en- 
deavors to work for God. He claims the world 
as his realm and fights for every inch of ground. 



82 Studies in the New Testament. 

5. The Small Beginning (John 1: 19 — 2: 12). 

Jesus had chosen battle and the war began. 
Jesus came out of the wilderness to Bethany be- 
yond the Jordan, where John the Baptist was. 
Here he won his first disciples from the followers 
of the Baptist (Andrew and probably John, the 
brother of James). These two won each his 
brother. Jesus found Philip, and Philip brought 
Nathanael. This band of six formed the nucleus 
of the followers of Jesus and were called dis- 
ciples or learners (John 2 : nf). They went with 
Jesus to the marriage at Cana, where the first 
miracle was wrought — the turning of water into 
wine — which manifested the glory of Jesus and 
increased the faith of the disciples. The mother 
of Jesus no doubt had fresh pride in her wondrous 
Son in spite of the fact that he made her under- 
stand that his work now as Messiah lay outside 
of her province, but it was not outside of her 
heart. The brothers were with Jesus and his 
mother for a few days at Capernaum, apparently 
in pleasant fellowship. 

6. The Rebuff at Jerusalem (John 2: 13—3: 21). 

The passover found Jesus at Jerusalem and in 
the temple. It was meet that he should assert 
his Messianic claims in the Holy City. Would 
the ecclesiastical leaders welcome him or reject 
him? The issue was raised in an indirect way, 
but the result was decisive. Jesus was indignant 
at the profanation of the temple by the traffic in 
oxen, sheep and doves for the sacrifices and the 



The Brief Ministry of Jesus. g3 

banking operations, all in the court of the Gen- 
tiles. Jesus asserted his Messianic claims by say- 
ing: "Take these things hence; make not my 
Father's house a house of merchandise." The 
Reformer carried his point for the moment. 
When his authority was challenged, he gave the 
sign of his resurrection on the third day, which 
was not understood because of the parabolic 
reference to the temple, a misunderstanding that 
lasted till the trial of Christ before the Sanhe- 
drin. Jesus was not carried away by the crowd 
of enthusiasts over his miracles in Jerusalem. 
The rabbis were hostile and the people were 
hollow. The one exception was Nicodemus, the 
timid scholar and member of the Sanhedrin. His 
Pharisaism made it hard to understand the spir- 
itual kingdom which Jesus preached, and yet he 
could not resist the charm of Jesus. The Master 
tried to open to him the mysteries of the New 
Birth, of the necessity of the Atoning Death on 
the Cross, of the Love of God that gave the only- 
begotten Son for the life of all who believed. The 
teacher in Israel was puzzled by this teaching, 
but in time came to believe it. 

7. The Success in Judea (John 3: 22 — 4: 4). 

Outside of Jerusalem in Judea the work of 
Christ took a real and powerful hold. The dis- 
ciples of John began to complain, though he re- 
joiced. The Pharisees became jealous of the new 
Teacher. The very success of Jesus made it nee- 



84 Studies in the New Testament. 

essary to go back to Galilee to escape the fate of 
John the Baptist, who was now in prison. 

8. The Harvest in Samaria (John 4: 5-42). 

The work in Samaria seems in the nature of 
an incident by the way as Jesus was on his way 
from Judea to Galilee. The Samaritans and the 
Jews lived apart in mutual dislike, which was all 
the keener because the Samaritans were half- 
Jews. The winning of the woman at the well in 
spite of the most adverse circumstances led to the 
conversion of many others in Sychar and to the 
cheering of the soul of Jesus at the power of the 
gospel to save the lost of all the world, at the 
vision of the harvest all over the world ready 
for the reapers, at the recognition of himself as 
the Saviour of the world by Samaritans in sharp 
contrast to the narrow prejudice of the Jewish 
rabbis in Jerusalem. Jesus showed his disciples 
how to rise above race prejudice and sex discrim- 
ination in saving the lost. 

9. The New Start in Galilee (John 4: 43-54; Matthew 

4: 13-25; 8: 2—9: 34; Mark 1: 14-22; 5: 22-43; 
Luke 4: 14—5: 39; 8: 41-56). 

It will not be possible to follow in detail the 
events in the ministry of Christ, but we can at 
least keep a true perspective and proportion in 
our study. Jesus left Judea because of excess of 
popularity there that aroused the jealousy of the 
Pharisees. He came to Galilee where as yet he 
had done little to create excitement. But the 



The Brief Ministry of Jesus. g5 

news of his work in Judea had preceded him and 
gave him a glad welcome in Galilee. But for the 
Gospel of John we should know little of the work 
of Jesus during the first year of his ministry (the 
year of obscurity). In Galilee Jesus preached 
repentance and the approach of the kingdom of 
God as John the Baptist had done, meaning by 
kingdom the reign of God in the heart and life. 
He gave Nazareth an opportunity to hear him. 
Curiosity and pleasure were soon piqued by town 
pride and turned to anger that strove to kill him. 
Clearly, Nazareth could not be his home during 
the Galilean ministry. So Jesus chose Caper- 
naum, a flourishing town by the Sea of Galilee, 
a less provincial city with many Greeks. Here 
he recalled James and John, Andrew and Simon 
Peter to follow T him steadily. Soon a great stir 
was made in Capernaum by the freshness and 
power of the teaching of Jesus and by his wonder- 
ful miracles of healing, even a case of raising the 
dead Qairus' daughter). The excitement became 
intense, and Jesus sought refuge in the desert 
to pray. The Pharisees had come from Judea 
and Jerusalem to investigate the work and claims 
of Jesus, and were outraged when he forgave sin 
and thus claimed the prerogative of God. They 
even hinted that he was in league with the devil. 
Jesus had not escaped the hostility of the Phari- 
sees by leaving Judea. The Pharisees ridiculed 
Jesus for associating with publicans like Levi, 
and even the disciples of John the Baptist joined 
in the complaint that Jesus and his disciples did 



86 Studies in the New Testament. 

not observe the usual fasts. They did not un- 
derstand the essential difference between Chris- 
tianity and Judaism. 

10. The Fresh Outbreak in Jerusalem (John 5: 1-47; 
Matthew 12: 1-14; Mark 2: 23—3: 6; Luke 6: 
1-11). 

It was probably the passover that brought Je- 
sus back to Jerusalem. The atmosphere there 
was now very hostile. The healing of the im- 
potent man on the Sabbath day gave the Phari- 
sees a fresh charge to make against Jesus. He 
was a Sabbath-breaker. The defense of Jesus 
that his Father worked all the time made it still 
worse, for he thereby made himself equal with 
God and was a blasphemous pretender. Hence, 
they sought to kill him. Thus within a year and 
a half matters have come to a head in Jerusalem. 
Jesus made an extended exposition of his claim 
to equality with God as the Son of God in nature 
and with the power of God. The outcome showed 
clearly that Jesus must go back to Galilee. On 
the way back the Pharisees follow him for the 
purpose of getting further grounds of complaint 
against him. There is now in reality at Jerusalem 
a conspiracy against Jesus, whose agents appear 
at almost every turn. They object on one Sab- 
bath to the rubbing and eating of grains of wheat 
plucked by the disciples as they walk. On the 
next Sabbath they are present in a synagogue to 
see if Jesus will heal a man with a withered hand. 
Jesus defends the conduct of the disciples with 



The Brief Ministry of Jesus. g7 

powerful arguments, which anger the Pharisees 
all the more since he claims superiority to ritual 
regulations and emphasizes mercy and spiritu- 
ality. As a result the Pharisees joined hands with 
the Herodians in a rage in order to plot the death 
of Jesus. 

11. The Band of Apostles (Matthew 10: 2f; Mark 3: 

13-19; Luke 6: 12-16; Acts 1: 13f). 

On the return to Galilee, Jesus faced the neces- 
sity for some sort of organization. After a night 
of prayer on a mountain, he came down to a 
level place and in the early dawn he chose 
twelve men to be with him constantly and named 
them apostles (missionaries). It was a crisis in 
the ministry of Christ and much depended on the 
choice of these men. Jesus had tested most of 
them in various ways already. They were all 
from Galilee save Judas Iscariot, who came from 
Judea. They possessed varying gifts, but made 
a wonderful band of young men to be trained 
by the greatest of earthly teachers in the work of 
the kingdom of God. It was now less than two 
years till the death of Jesus. Could they be 
taught in time? 

12. A Proclamation of Principles (Matthew 5: 1 — 7: 

29; Mark 3: 7-12; Luke 6: 17-49). 

Jesus went back a little up the mountain and 
sat down and addressed these twelve men, other 
disciples in large numbers, and a great crowd of 
hearers all the way from Idumea to Tyre 



88 Studies in the New Testament. 

and Sidon (Mark 3: 8). He probably spoke in 
Greek on this occasion, as many present could not 
understand Aramaic. It was time for Jesus to 
make it clear wherein his teaching differed from 
that of the rabbis, the religious teachers of Ju- 
daism, who were now plainly in open opposition 
to him. The issue is met fairly. The current 
Judaism taught that righteousness consisted in 
ceremonial observances to the neglect of the spir- 
itual and the ethical. They had missed the point 
of the Old Testament and had obscured even that 
by their oral traditions. Jesus reaffirmed the 
ethics (not the ceremonial rules) of the Old Tes- 
tament, only he went very much further and car- 
ried the ethical standard far beyond anything 
that the world had ever known and to a point 
which has not yet been reached in actual practice. 
He pointedly said that unless one's righteousness 
exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees, one 
could not enter the kingdom of heaven. This 
sermon, though not a full statement of all of 
Christ's teaching, made a marvelous impression 
then, and is still the goal of real righteousness 
among men. 

13. The Gloom of John the Baptist (Matthew 11: 2- 
30; Luke 7: 18-35). 

In spite of the great deeds of Jesus gloom set- 
tled upon John the Baptist as he languished in 
prison at Machaerus. There can be small won- 
der. His embassy to Jesus and the eulogy of 
John by Jesus help us to see the pathos of the 



The Brief Ministry of Jesus. g9 

effort to turn the people to holy living. While 
John was a sort of hero in the wilderness, people 
flocked around him in spite of the Pharisees and 
Sadducees. Even so, Jesus has been a popular 
idol for a while in Judea and Galilee, but the 
ecclesiastics will have none of him. They will 
have neither John nor Jesus, but only their own 
sort. Bethsaida, Chorazin, Capernaum have all 
fallen short. But Jesus keeps on with his teach- 
ing. The Father understands him at any rate. 

14. The Charge of the Pharisees (Matthew 12: 22- 

37; Mark 3: 19-30; Luke 7: 36— &: 3). 

The Pharisees grew increasingly suspicious, 
even those who showed courtesies of hospitality 
to Jesus. A special tour of Galilee by Jesus and 
the twelve and a band of women workers stirred 
up fresh animosity. The Pharisees openly 
charged that Jesus was in league with Beelzebub 
and cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, 
or Satan. Jesus retorted that, in thus attributing 
the work of the Holy Spirit to the devil, they had 
become guilty of blasphemy against the Holy 
Spirit, a sin that would never be .forgiven. He 
called them offspring of vipers, as John had done. 

15. The Pity of the Family of Jesus (Mark 3: 19-20, 

31-35; Matthew 12: 46-50; Luke 8: 19-21). 

The charge of the Pharisees seems to have 
made an impression on the family of Jesus, who 
concluded that he was beside himself, and came 
to take him home and out of the whirl and ex- 



90 Studies in the New Testament. 

citement of the crowds. It was a pathetic situa- 
tion as Jesus found that even his mother had, for 
the moment, lost heart about him. It was hard 
for Mary to understand this turn of affairs when 
all the religious leaders were against Jesus. He 
announced a spiritual fellowship with all those 
who did the will of his Father and declined to go 
home. 

16. The Use of Parables (Matthew 13: 1-53; Mark 4: 
1-34; Luke 8: 4-18). 

The teaching of Jesus is the wonder of the 
ages, both as to content and as to method. The 
world is only now beginning to comprehend the 
far-reaching nature of the teaching of Jesus in 
its application to all the relations of life (ethical, 
social, political, religious). But no less remark- 
able was his method. The new learning concern- 
ing psychology and pedagogy finds apt illustra- 
tion in the processes of thought revealed in the 
teaching of Christ. He knew how to attract at- 
tention, to hold it, to clinch his point, to reach the 
will, to stir the conscience. He was intensely 
personal and offered himself as the Teacher of 
God, who alone understood the Father. He in- 
vited all to come to school to him (take his yoke 
upon them) and learn of him. Thus alone would 
they find rest to their souls. Parables were in com- 
mon use by the rabbis, but there are no parables 
like those of Jesus for charm of thought, beauty 
of form, clearness of application. They were ob- 
scure to the spiritually dull or the hostile, and 



The Brief Ministry of Jesus. 91 

helped the believer to retain and to understand 
the truth. Jesus spoke many single parables and 
sometimes great groups about the kingdom 
(growth and consummation of life). They are 
"earthly stories with heavenly meanings." 

17. The Twelve Tested as Preachers (Matthew 10: 

5—11: 1; Mark 6: 7-13; Luke 9: 1-6). 

Jesus had already made two tours of Galilee, 
but now he sent twelve ahead of him by twos. It 
was an experiment to see how they could do the 
work of teaching and healing. He gave them 
special and careful instructions for their trip 
through Galilee. They needed guileless wisdom 
and courage. The result was good, and even 
Herod Antipas was stirred to fresh anxiety, think- 
ing that Jesus was John the Baptist come to life 
again, for his guilty conscience lashed him still 
(Mark 6: 14). 

18. The Outcome in Galilee (Matthew 14: 13-36; 

Mark 6: 30-56; Luke 9: 10-17; John 6: 1-71). 

The fame of Jesus was at its height in Galilee 
at the close of the tour. It was even augmented 
by the feeding of the five thousand on the slope 
of the hills near Bethsaida Julias. The masses 
were eager to take Jesus by force and make him 
king. They felt sure that the long-looked-for 
Messiah who was to set the Jews free from the 
Roman yoke had come at last. Jesus saw the 
peril of the situation and dismissed the crowds 
and sent the apostles over to Capernaum in the 



92 Studies in the New Testament. 

boat. He himself sought the Father alone in the 
mountains. No one else understood him at this 
hour. The apostles themselves were in peril now. 
Next day in the synagogue at Capernaum the 
fickle crowd came hungering for more bread and 
fishes. When they found that Jesus disclaimed 
being a political Messiah with free rations and 
meant only to be a spiritual Saviour who was to 
be spiritually appropriated, they left the syna- 
gogue in disgust, leaving only the twelve behind. 
They remained true in spite of the wholesale 
departure of the masses, though Jesus foresaw 
that one of the twelve would betray him. The 
Galilean bubble had burst. They did not want 
Jesus now that they understood him. 

19. Special Training for the Twelve (Matthew 15: 
1—18: 35; 8: 19-22; Mark 7: 1—9: 50; Luke 
9: 18-62; John 7: 1-10). 

It is now just a year (John 6: 4) till the end. 
Jesus did not go up to this passover. The situa- 
tion had become so acute in Capernaum and Gali- 
lea generally that Jesus withdrew for about six 
months in order to escape the hostility of the 
Pharisees, the jealousy of Herod Antipas, and the 
fanaticism of his nominal followers. Besides, his 
apostles greatly needed instruction if they were 
to be at all ready for the event of his death. So 
he took them out of the country into heathen ter- 
ritory (Tyre and Sidon, Decapolis, the region of 
Caesarea Philippi). It was in the hot season and 
they were by the sea or in the mountains. Being 



The Brief Ministry of Jesus. 93 

in heathen territory (cf. the case of the Syro- 
Phoenician woman), Jesus would have more 
leisure for the special teaching. Just before they 
left, the Pharisees from Jerusalem made a fresh 
attack on the ground that the disciples of Jesus 
ate with unwashed hands. The reply of Jesus, 
with its keen irony, angered them so much that 
Peter ventured to ask if Jesus had noticed it. 
It was high time to get the apostles away. Only 
once during this period did Jesus make a brief 
visit back from Decapolis to Galilee (Dalmanutha 
or Magadan), and at once the Pharisees and 
the Sadducees (for the first time) join in efforts 
to entrap him. The climax came in the region 
of Csesarea Philippi, when Jesus put the apostles 
to the test concerning their opinion of him. 
Peter's response as spokesman was noble and 
true, though he probably did not yet comprehend 
fully the significance of his words, probably still 
looking for a political Messiah. But it was loyal 
and Jesus accepted it in that sense. However, 
when soon afterwards, Jesus began to reveal 
plainly the nature of his Messiahship as involv- 
ing his death, Peter and all of them failed utterly 
to understand Jesus on that point. The philos- 
ophy of the Cross was as yet beyond them. This 
was true, even after the Transfiguration, which 
was meant to help them, as it did Jesus. The 
apostles seemed unable to grasp the conception 
of a Messiah who was to die and rise on the third 
day. Their minds even turned to petty disputes 



94 Studies in the New Testament. 

about their own greatness as they returned to 
Capernaum. It was now only six months till 
the end and their minds were still holden. 

20. Fierce Frenzy in Jerusalem (John 7: 11 — 10: 21). 

Jesus determined to go again to Jerusalem at 
the feast of tabernacles. It had probably been a 
year and a half since he had been there. His 
brothers (John 7 : 2-9) had ridiculed him for stay- 
ing away. In the city there was speculation about 
his coming (John 7: nf). The Galilean multi- 
tude at the feast were divided about him. The 
Jerusalem authorities were hostile. The populace 
in the city were scornful. In this medley Jesus 
came in the midst of the feast and openly taught 
in the temple. Not only so, but he held at bay his 
adversaries in open debate and won sympathy 
from the crowd of strangers there. The attempt 
of the Sanhedrin to have Jesus arrested brought 
Nicodemus to the fore as a champion of fair play 
for Jesus. For a few days after the feast Jesus 
was bitterly attacked by the Pharisees whom he 
exposed with scathing denunciation, claiming ex- 
istence before Abraham and angering them be- 
yond all control. The healing and the conversion 
of the man born blind is a fine study in humor 
and raillery and pathos in the outcome. Jesus 
drew the pictures of himself and the Pharisees 
by the allegory of the good shepherd and the rob- 
bers, and left the city. 



The Brief Ministry of Jesus. 95 

21. Waiting for His Hour (Luke 10: 1—17: 10; John 
10: 22-42). 

John expressly stated that even the soldiers at 
the feast of tabernacles could not take Jesus be- 
cause his hour had not oome. It was rapidly com- 
ing, but was not yet. So in Judea Jesus labored 
between the feast of tabernacles and the feast 
of dedication (three months). The seventy were 
sent on a special tour and returned with joy. 
This later Judean ministry duplicates in vari- 
ous ways the experiences in Galilee. The par- 
able of the good Samaritan stands out as a re- 
buke to a sharp lawyer. Jesus had a home with 
the family (Martha, Mary and Lazarus) at Beth- 
any, near Jerusalem. On his return to Jerusalem 
at the feast of dedication, Jesus was met again 
with keen criticism by his enemies, who charged 
him with claiming to be equal with God. By a 
skillful reply Jesus evaded them and left again, 
this time for Perea (Bethany, beyond Jordan). 
The ministry in Perea apparently lasted a couple 
of months and, like the later Judean ministry, is 
Luke's contribution to the gospel story. The five 
great parables in Luke 15 and 16 belong here 
beside the three in Luke 14. The Pharisees at- 
tacked Jesus here also and sought to entangle 
him with Herod Antipas or to drive him back to 
Jerusalem. 



96 Studies in the New Testament. 

22. The Raising of Lazarus (John 11: 11-54). 

The deliberate refusal of Jesus to go at once 
in response to the appeal of Martha and Mary to 
come to Lazarus puzzled them greatly. That he 
went at all so near Jerusalem after his recent ex- 
periences there shocked the apostles. They went 
with him with the courage of despair, but Jesus 
went as a conqueror. He did conquer death. 
Martha rose to a great height of faith in her 
confession to Jesus, who showed special sym- 
pathy with Mary's sorrow. The fact that John 
alone records this miracle is urged against its 
historicity, but the silence of the synoptics may 
be due to the fact that Lazarus was still alive and 
the object of Jewish hate when the synoptic Gos- 
pels were written. The miracle in itself is no 
more incredible than the other cases of raising 
from the dead. The effect of the miracle was 
tremendous. The Sanhedrin was stirred to activ- 
ity and formally planned the death of Jesus for 
his audacity and his power. Jesus withdrew to 
the hills of Ephraim, near where he was in the 
temptation at the beginning of his work. 

23. Going to Meet His Hour (Matthew 19: 1—20: 34; 

Mark 10: 1-52; Luke 17: 11—19: 28). 

Jesus left the hills of Ephraim, went north 
through Samaria into Galilee to join the caravan 
from Galilee to the passover, crossed with it over 
the Jordan below the Sea of Galilee into Perea, 
and slowly made his way south. The Pharisees 
were very active in provoking Jesus to speak 



The Brief Ministry of Jesus. 97 

about the kingdom, divorce, etc. The apostles 
themselves seem to have been aroused by the 
great crowds and showed rivalry about their own 
places in the kingdom, in spite of Christ's plain 
words about his death as a ransom for sin. At 
Jericho the crowd was on the qui vive of ex- 
pectancy, thinking that now at last Jesus would 
set up his Messianic kingdom. 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1. The Holy Spirit and Jesus. 

2. The Father and Jesus. 

3. Jesus and John the Baptist. 

4. The devil and Jesus. 

5. The rabbis and Jesus. 

6. The Samaritans. 

7. Christ's claims about himself. 

8. The twelve apostles. 

9. The Sermon on the Mount. 

10. Galilee. 

11. Capernaum. 

12. The Sea of Galilee. 

13. Jesus as a teacher. 

14. The parables of Jesus. 

15. The miracles of Jesus. 

16. The teaching of Jesus. 

17. Reasons for the hostility of the Pharisees. 

18. Reasons for the hostility of the Sadducees. 

19. Reasons for the dulness of the apostles 
about the death of Christ. 



CHAPTER VI 



THE TRAGEDY IN JERUSALEM. 



1. The Tension About Jesus (John 11: 55 — 12: 1, 

9-11). 

Six days before the passover Jesus came on 
to Bethany and made his home with Martha, 
Mary and Lazarus. The city was all agog over 
the question of whether he would now dare face 
the open enmity of the Sanhedrin who had deter- 
mined on his death. They had even given orders 
for the whereabouts of Jesus to be made known 
that he might be arrested. Opinion seemed to 
be that he would not come. But the common 
people soon learned that he was in Bethany and 
went out to see him and Lazarus, whom he had 
raised from the dead. The chief priests (Sad- 
ducees) determined to kill Lazarus also, as he 
was a refutation of their doctrine that there was 
no resurrection and was winning many to believe 
on Jesus. 

2. The Courage of Christ (Matthew 21: 1-17; Mark 

11: 1-11; Luke 19: 29-44; John 12: 12-19). 

Jesus made deliberate preparations to announce 
himself as Messiah in a formal and unmistakable 
(98) 



The Tragedy in Jerusalem. 99 

manner. He had steadily refused to do this since 
the early part of his ministry because it would 
bring matters to a focus too soon. The people 
understood that he really claimed to be the Mes- 
siah by the use of terms, like Son of God and 
Son of man, but they looked for a political Mes- 
siah, which Jesus refused to be. His enemies 
had tried hard to make him say in plain language 
that he claimed to be Messiah so that they might 
have a charge of blasphemy against him. Even 
now he will not use these words, but he will allow 
himself to be hailed as the Son of David. The 
triumphal entry was a defiance of his enemies and 
a proclamation of his Messiahship by an act that 
all would understand. The people were beside 
themselves with joy as they marched into the city 
over the slope of Olivet. The crowds brought 
dismay to the Pharisees, but Jesus was not de- 
ceived. He knew full well that Jerusalem would 
put him to death and bring doom upon itself. But 
he went on into the courts of the temple itself and 
was there hailed by the children as the Son of 
David, to the disgust of the ecclesiastics. 

3. The Coming of the Greeks (Matthew 21: 18-22, 
12f; Mark 11: 11-25; Luke 19: 45-48; John 12: 
20-50). 

The triumphal entry was on Sunday morning 
Monday morning Jesus went back from Bethany 
to the temple to find a great crowd gathered there 
to hear him. He was for the moment the hero 
of Jerusalem instead of being a hunted refugee. 



100 Studies in the New Testament. 

He asserted his authority over the temple by 
cleansing it once again as at the beginning (John 
2). The rulers quailed before him and gnashed 
their teeth in impotent rage. The request of some 
Greeks present at the passover to be introduced 
to the great Teacher threw Philip and even An- 
drew into a panic, for the middle wall or parti- 
tion between Jew and Greek stood in their path. 
The incident greatly agitated the heart of Jesus, 
who saw clearly that only by his Cross would this 
wall be broken down (cf. Ephesians 2). Thus, 
when lifted up, he would draw all classes of men 
(Jew and Greek) to him and race prejudice 
could be overcome. By dying he would really 
live. 

4. The Last Day in the Temple (Matthew 21: 23— 
23: 39; Mark 11: 27—12: 44; Luke 20: 1— 
21: 4). 

On Tuesday morning, when Jesus came into 
the temple, he met organized opposition designed 
to ruin his influence over the people. The leaders 
of the Sanhedrin (both Pharisees and Sadducees) 
challenged his authority for what he was doing 
(the triumphal entry, cleansing of the temple, 
public teaching in the temple). They were with- 
in their technical rights in so doing, as Jesus was 
not a recognized rabbi and had no ecclesiastical 
standing. The reply of Jesus, however, threw 
them into consternation. The only human author- 
ity that Jesus had came from John, who had bap- 
tized and identified him as the Messiah. So Jesus 



The Tragedy m Jerusalem. \Q\ 

asked their opinion of John's baptism. They were 
helplessly hung on the horns of their dilemma. 
Jesus turned on them with three stories and with 
pitiless power tore the mask from their faces, 
predicting that God would take his kingdom away 
from them and give it to a nation bringing forth 
the fruits thereof. In turn the disciples of the 
Pharisees (students from the rabbinical semi- 
nary) and the Herodians came against Christ, 
followed by the Sadducees and a lawyer, all of 
whom went down in utter defeat like chaff before 
the wind. Jesus then turned upon them and de- 
manded that they explain how the Messiah was 
both LordNDf David and Son of David (the prob- 
lem of the deity and the humanity of the Mes- 
siah). They were speechless, and the common 
people heard Jesus gladly as he routed his ene- 
mies. The end came in the really fierce denun- 
ciation of the Pharisees as hypocrites (Matthew 
23), when Jesus at last unbosomed his indigna- 
tion against them for their hollow pretense as 
religious guides, in reality dragging men into 
hell after themselves. The 'storm was terrific and 
swept them all away. Jesus exhausted, sat down 
and watched a poor widow as she cast two mites, 
her all, into the treasury. He called the apostles 
to him, for even they had stepped back from him 
during the storm of wrath. Jesus passed out of 
the temple of his Father, never to enter it again. 



102 Studies in the New Testament. 

5. The Afternoon on Olivet (Matthew 24: 1—25: 46; 
Mark 13: 1-37; Luke 21: 5-36). 

The apostles were perhaps embarrassed as they 
passed out of the temple buildings and probably 
sought to relieve the tension by remarks about the 
beautiful buildings, the pride of all Jews. But 
Jesus replied that not one stone would be left 
upon another. They went up to the top of Olivet 
and sat down and looked upon the city and the 
temple in the afternoon sun. The disciples took 
up the astonishing remark of Christ. Three 
catastrophies were in the mind of Jesus (his own 
death, the fate of Jerusalem and the temple, the 
end of the world). The fate of Jerusalem would 
be the penalty for its treatment of him, and was 
also a type of the end of the world. The pictures 
are blended and for us blurred in the presenta- 
tion like the perspective through the picture of 
an open window. We cannot clearly separate the 
portions of this great eschatological discourse 
that deal with the second coming or end of the 
world and those that refer to the destruction of 
Jerusalem. Portions may refer to both. At the 
end the parables picture the end alone and 
the duty of watchfulness and readiness. The 
disciples were thus warned in time for the 
destruction of Jerusalem, though some critics 
will have it that these narratives were written 
after the event. This apocalypse of Jesus reminds 
one of the Jewish apocalypses and Revelation. 



The Tragedy in Jerusalem. 103 

6. Plotting Christ's Death (Matthew 26: 1-16; Mark 
14: 1-11; Luke 22: 1-6; John 12: 2-8). 

The Sanhedrin met on this very Tuesday night. 
It was intolerable for them to be ridiculed right 
in the temple before all the people. If they could 
not answer him, they could kill him. And yet 
they feared to touch Jesus while the feast lasted 
because of the presence of the crowds from Gali- 
lee. It was wisdom therefore to wait till the feast 
was over and the crowds had departed. At this 
juncture Judas Iscariot suddenly appeared at the 
private conference of the rulers with a plan by 
which they could seize Jesus during the feast. It 
was, in a word, to catch him at night while pray- 
ing in the Garden of Gethsemane. They offered 
Judas thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave, 
and he accepted the bribe. But he did not play 
the traitor merely for the money, though he was 
avaricious. There was a mixture of motives. He 
had, in spite of the triumphal entry, seen Jesus 
denounce the leaders of the land and proclaim the 
downfall of Jerusalem. On this very night Jesus 
had predicted his own death after two more days. 
There was nothing in the so-called kingdom of 
God for Judas with the King dead. Jesus had, 
besides, held Judas up to ridicule before the com- 
pany at the house of Simon the leper and had 
praised Mary as if she alone had insight as she 
anointed him beforehand for burial. He decided 
to take care of himself and save what he could 
out of the wreck. He could get some revenge at 
any rate. 



104 Studies in the New Testament. 

7. Rivalry Among the Apostles at the Last Passover 

Meal (Matthew 26: 17-20; Mark 14: 12-17; 
Luke 22: 7-16, 24-30; John 13: 1-20). 

This is one of the saddest of all occasions. Je- 
sus had looked forward to and had planned this 
last meal with eager anticipation. It was the 
last meal together and was at the regular time 
(sundown of our Thursday, beginning of 15th 
Nisan). The synoptics are clear on this point, 
and the Gospel of John really agrees with this 
idea. But, when they assembled in the quiet 
chamber already prepared (probably in the home 
of Mary, the mother of John Mark), Jesus found 
the twelve disciples in a contention as to which 
deserved the honor of reclining next to him at 
table. He rebuked them for acting like the 
heathen, but they continued their strife after it 
was settled and John the apostle had the post of 
honor. Presently Jesus arose (right in the midst 
of the meal) and washed their feet to give them 
an object lesson in humility. 

8. Pointing Out the Betrayer (Matthew 26: 21-25, 

31-35; Mark 14: 18-21, 27-31; Luke 22: 21-23, 
31-38; John 13: 21-38). 

It was a sad meal. Finally Jesus looked up 
and said : "One of you shall betray me." To 
all but Judas it was like a bolt out of the blue. 
They asked in alarm : "Is it I ?" Even Judas put 
on a bold face and bluffed the situation through. 
But Jesus revealed to Judas that he knew all 
about his plot, and bade him be gone. The rest, 



The Tragedy in Jerusalem. 105 

stunned as they were, did not comprehend what 
passed between Jesus and Judas. So Judas went 
out into the night. The devil had closed in on 
Judas and had taken his own. Could he win any 
of the rest? He would certainly try, since he 
had endeavored to tempt Jesus himself. Jesus 
warned the apostles that Satan would sift them 
all like wheat. The devil rejoices in the downfall 
of a preacher. In particular Jesus said that he 
had prayed for Simon Peter. This special con- 
cern excited the indignation of Peter, who pro- 
tested that he would be faithful to death though 
all men forsook him. So said they all. The warn- 
ing of Jesus went so far as to predict that this 
very night Peter would deny him. Surely it was 
a critical time. What were two swords in such 
an emergency. 

9. The Memorial of Christ's Death (Matthew 26: 26- 
29; Mark 14: 22-25; Luke 22: 17-20; 1 Corinth- 
ians 11: 23-26). 

The solemnity of the moment was evident. Je- 
sus gave a mystical and symbolic turn to it all 
by suddenly taking the bread and the wine and 
presenting each to the apostles as a picture of 
his death for the remission of sin and a memorial 
of his death and a pledge of his return. The 
ancients had their mysteries and mystic meals. 
The idea was a common one all over the world, 
but Jesus seized it and hallowed it to help the dis- 
ciples and their followers to comprehend and to 
preserve the power of his death and resurrection 



106 Studies in the New Testament. 

and their mystical appropriation of Christ and 
union with each other in Christ (i Corinthians 
10: 17). The disciples were probably too dazed 
to understand it all as yet. Paul tells us that he 
got his account of the event directly from the 
Lord and Luke follows Paul's narrative. Mat- 
thew and Mark are nearly identical. 

10. The Farewell Discourse (John 14-17). 

The synoptic Gospels tell no more of what took 
place in that upper room, save that they sang a 
hymn and went out (Matthew 26: 30; Mark 
14: 26) to Gethsemane. But the Fourth Gospel 
gives a most remarkable account of Christ's talk 
and prayer after the supper. It is the very heart 
of Christ, full of tenderness, sympathy, love and 
yearning to help them. Part of it, after John 
14 : 31, may have been on the way to Gethsemane 
or while standing before going out. Jesus un- 
dertook to comfort the disciples in view of his 
departure. They listened at first in mild protest, 
but finally became silent as Jesus talked on about 
the heavenly home, the way to it, his revelation 
of the Father, his coming back, the new Com- 
forter to take his place (the Holy Spirit), their 
union with him as the branches with the vine, 
their love for each other, the new light from the 
great Teacher (the Holy Spirit). Then he 
ceased and prayed the wonderful prayer of con- 
secration as he placed them in the hands of the 
Father. He longed for unity of spirit in their 
work in lieu of the spirit of jealousy already 



The Tragedy in Jerusalem. J 07 

among them. In the hush of the night they went 
on to Gethsemane. 

11. The Struggle in the Garden (Matthew 26: 36-46; 

Mark 14: 32-42; Luke 22: 39-46; John 18: 1). 

It was the custom of Jesus to go to a special 
spot in the Garden of Gethsemane to pray alone. 
He had his place of prayer (his own proseuche) . 
He knew what Judas would do and wished a 
time of privacy with the Father. So he stationed 
two groups of the disciples on guard (first the 
eight, then Peter, James and John). It was little 
enough for them to do while Jesus sought 
strength for his great ordeal — strength that only 
the Father could give. It was his hour of great- 
est peril and he needed sorely human sympathy 
and divine help. The devil met him again in his 
hour of weakness, as before after his long fast. 
The first cry of recoil from the heart of Jesus was 
the human protest against the sin of the world as 
it rolled upon his soul. He quickly recovered 
and submitted to drink the cup to the bottom. 
The agony was intense. Three times he sought 
fellowship with the three disciples. Each time 
they failed him (in their sleep). An angel came 
to strengthen him, when men did not. But he 
won the victory and was now ready for Calvary. 

12. The Betrayal (Matthew 26: 47-56; Mark 14: 43- 

52; Luke 22: 47-53; John 18: 2-12). 

Judas knew the place and the habits of Jesus, 
and took advantage of his knowledge to consum- 



108 Studies in the Neiv Testament. 

mate his diabolical deed. He came with Roman 
soldiers and a great multitude. Jesus asserted his 
power and made it plain that his 'surrender was 
voluntary. But even so, Judas persisted in his 
prearranged plan, and kissed Jesus to give the 
sign. The instinct of Peter made him fight, and 
he cut off the right ear of Malchus, servant of the 
high priest, in an effort to cut off his head. But 
Jesus made Peter, sheath his sword and all was 
over. Jesus had surrendered and would not let 
the disciples fight for him. It was all incredible, 
but only too true. They all fled in terror to save 
their own lives. Peter was in special jeopardy 
because of his rash deed. It was the hour and the 
power of darkness as they led Jesus away bound. 

13. Jesus Mistreated by Annas (John 12: 12-14, 
19-23) 

It was not a trial, for Annas was not now high 
priest, though his son-in-law, Caiaphas, was. 
While the Sanhedrin was assembling, Jesus was 
left with Annas, who used his opportunity to 
speak slightingly of the disciples and the teach- 
ing of Jesus. The Master demanded a fair trial, 
as was his right, when struck by a by-stander. 
He did not turn the other cheek, nor did he strike 
back. 



The Tragedy in Jerusalem. 109 

14. Arraigned Before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26: 
57, 59-68; 27: If; Mark 14: 53, 55:-65; 15: 1; 
Luke 22: 54, 63—23: 1; John 18: 24, 28). 

The Sanhedrin was hurriedly gathered together 
at once, and it was a full meeting, though prob- 
ably Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were 
not summoned. The whole proceeding was a 
farce. The Sanhedrin no longer had the power 
of death, but they were bent on condemning Je- 
sus, partly as a protest against the loss of their 
power, but mainly out of revenge for what Jesus 
had done to them. The meeting, besides, was at 
night, which was illegal in capital cases. Then 
there had been no indictment and no papers for 
his arrest. He was arraigned before the San- 
hedrin with no charge against him. There were 
no witnesses, nor was Jesus allowed to produce 
any. Besides, the Sanhedrin acted as prosecutors 
as well as judges. They actually had to bribe wit- 
nesses to testify against Jesus. Even so, the false 
witnesses perverted what Jesus had said about the 
temple and disagreed among themselves. Then 
the high priest put Jesus on oath and made him 
testify against himself. On his own confession 
that he was the Messiah, the Son of God, he was 
accused of blasphemy and condemned. Jesus 
need not have testified except that to refuse now 
would be interpreted as denial. So they con- 
demned him to death and mocked him besides. 
To give a little more appearance of legality to 
what had been done they met again after day and 
took the vote over. 



HO Studies in the New Testament. 

15. Peter's Denials (Matthew 26: 58, 69-75; Mark 

14: 54, 66-72; Luke 22: 54-62; John 18: 15-18, 
25-27). 

It is a pitiful story that meets us here. Peter 
had not the courage to go into the court room, as 
John did, nor could he stay away entirely, like 
the other disciples. So he took a middle course 
and lingered in the open court by the fire with 
the servants, hoping to hide himself and yet be 
near enough to see what was going on. He was 
soon recognized and all of a sudden denied know- 
ing Jesus. He apparently went back to the door, 
for the accounts vary in the order of events, and 
was again charged with being a follower of Je- 
sus. It was an hour later, when back by the fire, 
that a kinsman of Malchus, whose ear Peter had 
cut off, asked if he had not seen him in the 
garden. That was too much and meant that 
Peter himself was in dire peril of his life. So, 
alas, he denied with oaths and cursings. Jesus 
saw him through the open door and the look 
broke Peter's heart. How are the mighty fallen ! 
And the cock crew and Peter went out and wept 
bitterly. 

16. Suicide of Judas (Matthew 27: 3-10; Acts 1: 18f). 

It is possible that Judas hoped that at the last 
Jesus would show his power and escape the hands 
of his enemies. He may even have imagined that 
the arrest would force Jesus to assert his claims 
as political Messiah. One can never know the 
processes of a sordid heart like that of Judas. At 



The Tragedy in Jerusalem. \\\ 

any rate remorse came. He flung down the 
money, the price of blood, at the feet of the San- 
hedrin and went and hanged himself, falling 
headlong and bursting in two. It was a potter's 
field bought with the price of blood and stained 
with Judas' blood. 

17. Brought Before Pilate (Matthew 27: 11-14; Mark 
15: 2-5; Luke 23: 2-5; John 18: 28-38). 

The Sanhedrin brought Jesus before Pilate, the 
Roman procurator, as soon as possible by sun- 
rise (John 19: 14). They were feverishly eager 
to have the condemnation by Pilate over before 
the people came into the city from the hills out- 
side where they camped. They said nothing to 
Pilate about their trial and condemnation of Je- 
sus or about the charge of blasphemy. Instead 
of that, they made three others (perverting the 
nation, forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, claim- 
ing to be a king) . The first was vague, the second 
flatly untrue. The third was untrue in the sense 
meant, for Jesus did not claim to be a political 
king, but only a spiritual king, as the Sanhedrin 
well knew. In truth, the chief ground of dis- 
satisfaction on the part of the Pharisees was pre- 
cisely that Jesus would not be a political Messiah. 
Pilate had to notice this charge, for it was really 
high treason. But he soon learned by private 
examination that Jesus did not claim to be a 
rival to Caesar. He pronounced Jesus innocent 
and wished to set him free, but the rulers cried 
out more than ever. 



112 Studies in the New Testament. 

18. Sent to Herod Antipas (Luke 23: 6-12). 

The mention of Galilee by the rulers gave Pi- 
late a ray of hope. That was the country of 
Herod Antipas, who disliked Pilate. He could 
placate Herod and get rid of a troublesome case 
at the same time. Besides, Herod had never seen 
Jesus and was eager to see him perform some 
miracle like a miracle-monger. But he got never 
a word out of Jesus and he sent him back to 
Pilate in mock array of splendor. 

19. Condemned to Death toy Pilate (Matthew 27: 15- 

30; Mark 15: 6-19; Luke 23: 13-25; John 18: 
39—19: 16). 

Pilate's ruse to escape responsibility had failed. 
He was afraid to offend the Jews, since they 
would complain to Rome about him, and already 
they had a number of scores against him. He 
knew that the Sanhedrin had brought Jesus be- 
fore him for envy, and, besides, his wife had 
warned him about a dream that she had had. He 
had one more recourse. He tried to get the people 
to call for Jesus as the prisoner to be set free at 
the feast according to custom. But once more 
the Sanhedrin outwitted him and stirred up a 
cry for Barabbas. In response to the question 
of their wish about Jesus they responded : "Cru- 
cify him." Some of the very voices that on Sun- 
day hailed him as Messiah on Friday clamored 
for his death. Pilate weakly yielded to the 
clamor after further futile attempts to stop it. 
When the rulers threatened to report him to Cae- 



The Tragedy in Jerusalem. ;Q3 

sar, he gave up and agreed to the death of a 
man whom he had repeatedly pronounced inno- 
cent. Like other guilty men, he sought to wash 
his hands of the blood of Jesus while the people 
took that blood upon themselves and upon their 
children. There was guilt enough for all. 

20.* Led Out to Execution (Matthew 27: 31-34; Mark 
15: 20-23; Luke 23: 26-33; John 19; 16f). 

The rough Roman soldiers made sport of Je- 
sus till he was led out to be crucified at nine 
o'clock. The cross was borne at first by Jesus 
himself as was the custom with criminals. The 
impressment of Simon of Cyrene was a whim of 
the soldiers. Jesus had to endure the shame of 
the Via Dolorosa. The place of the crucifixion 
was outside of the city, near a garden, and near 
a highway. The most probable place is what is 
called Gordon's Calvary, to the north of the city. 
It looks like a skull from a distance. Here the 
three crosses were placed, that of Jesus in the 
middle, the one that Barabbas would have occu- 
pied. The body was probably nailed to the cross 
before it was elevated. 

21. The Death on the Cross (Matthew 27: 35-56; 
Mark 15: 24-41; Luke 23: 33-49; John 19: 
18-30). 

The tragedy of the cross is the central event 
of history. The Jews, who had so long waited 
for the Messiah, killed him when he came. Pi- 
late placed above the cross in Latin, Greek and 
Hebrew the charge that Jesus was the King of 

8 



114 Studies in the New Testament. 

the Jews. There is not room to discuss the details 
given in the Gospels. Jesus was placed on the 
cross about nine and died about three. At noon 
the dreadful darkness came. At first the soldiers 
gambled over the seamless garment of Christ, 
while he prayed for his enemies. The passers-by, 
the Sanhedrin, the soldiers and even the two rob- 
bers on the cross by his side mocked Jesus. One 
of the robbers came to himself and found life in 
the hour of death. Jesus committed his mother 
to John, who took her away from the horror of 
this hour. The darkness lasted for three terrible 
hours. At the end Jesus broke the stillness with 
the wail of desolation at his apparent desertion by 
the Father as he became sin for us (2 Corinthians 
5 : 21). But Jesus was conscious to the end and, 
though aflame with thirst, claimed victory in the 
hour of death. He died with the words of the 
Psalmist on his lips. Supernatural events at- 
tended this consummation. A hush fell on the 
spectators who wended their way back to the 
city. The Roman centurion was deeply im- 
pressed. Those who saw this end of the life of 
Jesus little comprehended what it all signified. 
Jesus knew what he was suffering, but the dis- 
ciples and the women did not understand that 
Jesus was dying for the sin of the world. 

22. The Burial (Matthew 27: 57-66; Mark 15: 42-47; 
Luke 23: 50-56; John 19: 31-42). 

It is John who tells of the eagerness of the Jews 
to have the bodies down before the Sabbath be- 



The Tragedy in Jerusalem, U5 

gan at sundown. The Roman soldiers broke the 
legs of the two robbers to hasten death, but it 
was not necessary in the case of Christ, as a spear 
thrust into his side showed both water and blood, 
proof that Jesus had literally died of a broken 
heart (a burst blood-vessel in the heart). One 
must always honor Joseph of Arimathea, though 
timid till now, for his courage and love in asking 
Pilate for the body of Jesus to be placed in his 
new tomb. Nicodemus and Joseph buried his 
body, wrapped in myrrh and aloes, with tender 
love. The faithful women watched with wistful 
eyes where they laid him. 

23. The Fear of the Sanhedrin (Matthew 27: 62-66). 

The Sanhedrin had an uncanny feeling as the 
Sabbath came on that something might happen. 
So they had the Roman seal placed over the tomb 
and a Roman guard placed beside it. No one 
could now tamper with that grave. Jesus was 
dead and his body must stay in the tomb. 

24. The Lonely Sabbath (Luke 23: 56). 

The women rested on the Sabbath; rested as 
far as they could rest ! What did Peter do ? and 
John? and the mother of Jesus? The angel Ga- 
briel had come to see her in the long ago and now 
her glorious Child of promise lay in the tomb, 
crucified as a heretic and pretender. The future ? 
Was there any future? 



116 Studies in the New Testament. 

TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

i. Messianic expectations of the Jews. 

2. The Christ of prophecy. 

3. Jewish judicial procedure. 

4. The Jewish trial of Jesus. 

5. Roman justice. 

6. The Roman trial of Jesus. 

7. The destruction of Jerusalem. 

8. The insight of Mary of Bethany. 

9. Judas Iscariot. 

10. Peter's denials. 

11. Pilate's conduct at the trial. 

12. The atonement. 

13. The Lord's supper. 

14. The sayings of Jesus on the cross. 

15. Joseph of Arimathea. 

16. Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the cross, 



CHAPTER VII 



THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. 



1. The Fact of the Resurrection. 

The resurrection of Christ is the crucial fact 
for the Christian. Jesus repeatedly predicted that 
he would rise from the dead on the third day as 
proof of his claim to be the Messiah, the Son of 
God. Other men were raised from the dead, 
but in the case of Jesus his claim to be divine was 
made to hinge on his return from the grave ac- 
cording to his predictions. So then the proof of 
this fact is of supreme importance. The proof is 
varied and convincing. Many men who have 
doubts about some of the miracles recorded in the 
Gospels see no way to escape the conviction that 
Jesus rose from the dead. In fact, the very di- 
vergences in the Gospel narratives show the inde- 
pendence of the testimony. The case of Paul is 
of tremendous value since he himself tells of his 
seeing Christ after his death. No fact of human 
history has better attestation than the resurrection 
of Jesus. 

2. The Doubt of the Disciples. 

Jesus had labored earnestly to prepare the dis- 
ciples for the great event of his death. They 

(117) 



118 Studies in the New Testament. 

failed completely to comprehend him, and the 
Gospels relate faithfully this failure. The eclipse 
of faith was complete. His promise of the 
resurrection vanished from their minds along 
with all the rest of Christ's teachings. The prob- 
lem of Jesus when risen will be to convince these 
men that he really is alive again. The revival of 
faith, hope and power can only be explained on 
the basis of Christ's resurrection from the dead. 
They were not predisposed to believe it, but to 
disbelieve it. In fact, they did disbelieve the tes- 
timony of Mary and the other women to whom 
Jesus first appeared. But their doubt makes it 
easier for us to believe. 

3. Theories of the Resurrection. 

Many efforts have been made to explain away 
the resurrection of Jesus. The value of the tes- 
timony has been attacked as inconsistent and con- 
tradictory. It has been claimed that the disciples 
hoped for his return and thus imagined that they 
did see him. It is charged that the excitable 
women started the whole story. Unfortunately 
all these theories are contradicted by the context 
in the narratives. It is alleged further that Je- 
sus was in a swoon and not really dead, and re- 
vived. Still further it is asserted that the women 
and the disciples had visions that were real, but 
that the body of Jesus remained in the tomb. 
They saw the spirit of Jesus, in other words. It 
is held that the only essential thing to believe is 
that Jesus is still alive without any reference to 



The Resurrection of Jesus. H9 

his body that was buried. But no one of these 
theories satisfies the demands of the narratives 
that the body of Jesus was restored to life with 
his spirit and was translated and glorified and 
ascended to the Father. The mystery remains in 
any case. We can, however, say that science 
cannot affirm that resurrection is impossible. 
With God all things are possible. 

4. The Length of Christ's Stay in the Tomb. 

Luke (23 : 54) states that Jesus was buried 
on the day of the Preparation (the day before the 
Sabbath, our Friday), and the Sabbath drew 
on (or dawned, viz., at sunset when the 
twenty-four-hour day began with the Jews). It 
was on Friday afternoon between three and six 
that Jesus was buried. Luke adds (23 : 56) that 
the women rested on the Sabbath day. Then 
Luke states (24: 1) that at early dawn (sunrise, 
Mark 16:2 has it) on the first day of the week 
(Sunday) the women came to the tomb and 
found it empty. Thus Jesus was in the tomb part 
of Friday, all of the Sabbath and part of Sunday 
(as we count the days). Jesus had said that he 
would rise on the third day, and this he did. If 
he had remained in the tomb more than three full 
days, he would have risen on the fourth day, not 
on the third. The expression "after three days," 
a few times used, can be understood as a free 
way of talking common to all languages. 



120 Studies in the New Testament. 

5. The Visit of the Women Saturday Evening (Mat- 

thew 28: 1; Mark 16: 1). 

Matthew (28: 1) says that 'late on the Sab- 
bath day" as it began to dawn toward the first 
day, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary made a 
visit to see the sepulchre. This language can 
only properly mean that the visit was made just 
before sundown, for the first day began at sunset. 
They probably did not go close to the sepulchre 
as they did not see the Roman guard. Mark 
(16: 1) makes an addition in harmony with this 
statement to the effect that when the Sabbath was 
past the two women went and bought spices that 
they might anoint the body of Jesus the next 
morning (Mark 16: 2). This purchase was, 
therefore, just after sunset. 

6. The Visit of the Women Sunday Morning (Mat- 

thew 28: 2-8; Mark 16: 2-8; Luke 24: 1-8; 
John 20: 1). 

The women were evidently eager to go as early 
as possible Sunday morning, as there was not 
time to make the trip (some two miles from 
Bethany) after sundown Saturday. They made 
an early start while it was yet dark, and the sun 
was risen when they reached the tomb. They 
were ignorant of the Roman seal and the guard 
and were troubled about rolling away the stone. 
Mary Magdalene was alarmed at the open tomb 
and feared that the body of Jesus had been re- 
moved. She ran to tell Peter and John. The 
others saw the two angels (men) and heard the 



The Resurrection of Jesus. \2\ 

message for the disciples about the resurrection 
of Jesus. It was all very wonderful. They had 
mingled feelings of fear and joy. They were to 
tell the disciples, and in particular Peter, to meet 
the risen Jesus on an appointed mountain in Gali- 
lee. Nothing was said about seeing him sooner. 
The women did not see Jesus then, but only the 
empty tomb or rather the tomb occupied by two 
angels (men, Luke) who told of his resurrection. 

7. The Visit of Peter and John (John 20: 2-10). 

The startled report of Mary Magdalene roused 
Peter and John (note Peter's cooperation again) 
to action. John outran Peter, but he paused 
while Peter went on in, and then came John after 
him. But John's fine insight revealed to him 
the fact that Jesus had been raised from the 
dead, since the clothes were lying in orderly 
fashion. It was no grave robbery. John was the 
first of the apostles to be convinced that Jesus 
had risen, though he had not seen him. The 
group of women and John believed, but no one 
had as yet seen Jesus alive. 

8. Mary and Jesus (Mark 16: 9-11; John 20: 11-18). 

Mary Magdalene did not try to keep up with 
Peter and John. When she arrived at the tomb, 
they had left. Curiously enough, Peter and John 
did not see the angels, and yet Mary saw them 
when she came. No solution of this difficulty ap- 
pears. But Mary probably regarded them simply 
as men and gave them her explanation of the 



122 Studies in the New Testament. 

trouble, that the body of Jesus had been taken 
away. The scene between Mary and the gar- 
dener (as she supposed), when she turned round, 
is told by John with exquisite beauty and won- 
drous power. He was revealed to her by calling 
her name with the old accent, though she did not 
recognize him at first, as was true of others when 
they saw the risen Christ, for he appeared at 
times in a changed form or their eyes were 
holden. But Mary was the first of them all to 
see Jesus. She was not allowed to lay her hands 
on Jesus, but she bore a message to the apostles. 
She had the greatest of all words to say : "I have 
seen the Lord." But they disbelieved her, prob- 
ably thinking that the demons had her again. 
Why did not John believe her? 

9. The Report of the Guard (Matthew 28: 11-15). 

It is interesting to note that the guard went to 
the Sanhedrin, not to Pilate. They told the truth 
also about the resurrection of Jesus, but the San- 
hedrin were not converted to Christianity by rea- 
son of it. The guard were the only eye-witnesses 
of the stupendous event. The Sanhedrin did not 
dispute the correctness of the report, but offered 
the guard a bribe to say that the disciples stole 
the body of Jesus while they slept, a foolish ex- 
planation since, if they were asleep, they would 
not know anything about it. The Sanhedrin un- 
dertook also to protect the guard from Pilate if 
he should hear of it. So the silly story ran its 
course. 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 123 

10. The Other Women and Jesus (Matthew 28: 9f; 

Luke 24: 9-11). 

These women had already been told by the 
angels that Jesus had risen. When they saw him, 
they fell at his feet and worshiped him. This 
Jesus allowed. Jesus told them to go and tell 
his brethren to meet him in Galilee. But it was 
all as idle talk to the apostles, and they disbe- 
lieved these women as they had done Mary Mag- 
dalene, effectually disposing of the modern theory 
that the women started the belief in the resurrec- 
tion. None of the men believed their story. 

11. Cleopas and His Companions (Mark 16: 12f; 

Luke 24: 13-32). 

This narrative in Luke is probably the most 
beautiful story in all the world. The two dis- 
ciples who lived at Emmaus (west of Jerusalem) 
had been to Jerusalem to see how the disciples 
felt, now that Jesus was dead. They found them 
in despair in spite of the story of the women, 
which nobody believed. They were talking with 
each other, going over all the sad details, when 
a stranger joined them who listened to their ac- 
count of the career of Jesus and in particular the 
recent events with great interest. But soon the 
stranger was their teacher, as he showed how the 
sufferings of the Messiah were foretold in the 
Scriptures. Their hearts burned within them, but 
they did not understand till at the evening meal 
in their home at Emmaus the stranger said grace 
and their eyes were opened and he was gone. 



124 Studies in the New Testament. 

12. Simon Peter (Luke 24: 33-35; 1 Cor. 15: 5). 

Very little is said about the appearance of Je- 
sus to Simon Peter, but it is plain that this was 
the cardinal fact in the proof that Jesus was alive 
and no longer dead. The details are all wanting, 
but so great an impression did it make that a 
meeting of the brethren and sisters was hurriedly 
called that very night (Sunday) to hear what 
Simon had to say. When the two from Emmaus 
came in to tell their wonderful story, they were 
interrupted at the door by the statement : "The 
Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to 
Simon. " That was proof enough. The women 
were right after all. Then Cleopas told his story. 

13. The Meeting Sunday Night (Mark 16: 14; Luke 
24: 36-43; John 20: 19-25). 

The place is not given, though probably it was 
the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark 
(perhaps the same upper room). For some rea- 
son Thomas was absent (could not be found or 
would not come). The doors were shut out of 
fear of the Jews. It was a marvelous gathering 
of the disciples who had lost hope utterly, and who 
now have come to believe that Jesus is still alive. 
All was not lost. All may be won. They must 
confer together. It was at this meeting that Jesus 
suddenly appeared and thus threw them all into 
consternation and back into doubt. He had to con- 
vince them all over again that he was not a mere 
ghost, but actually alive in person. The print of the 
nails was shown. He actually ate a piece of broiled 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 125 

fish to show them the truth. It passes our com- 
prehension how all this could be true of one risen 
from the dead. He was in a transition state and 
not yet glorified. Jesus gave them a commission. 
He sent them forth to bless all the world. It was 
a great time. Five times on this first day Jesus 
had appeared to one or another of the believers. 

14. The Next Sunday Night (John 20: 24-31). 

The next Sunday they felt that they must meet 
together again. They had no promise that Jesus 
would come again, but they must meet. Some- 
how they managed to persuade Thomas to come, 
in spite of his skepticism and indifference. He 
had made a condition for his faith. The doors were 
shut again, when Jesus suddenly appeared and 
challenged Thomas to meet the demands of his 
faith. To the credit of Thomas be it said that 
he did not try to thrust his hand into the side of 
Jesus, but made the noble confession of the deity 
of Jesus, the greatest confession so far made by 
any of the disciples. Now the whole group were 
convinced. Jesus spoke kindly of those in the 
future who would believe without seeing him. 

15. By the Sea of Galilee (John 21). 

For some reason we see seven of the apostles 
back by the Sea of Galilee, probably because the 
time for the meeting on the mountain had not 
yet come. At any rate, they were in their old 
haunts again after their great and strange experi- 



126 Studies in the New Testament. 

ences. Some of them were fishermen by trade, 
and Peter could resist the impulse no longer, and 
announced his purpose. He was instantly sec- 
onded by the other six, but they had fisherman's 
luck and toiled all night and caught nothing. In 
the gray of the early dawn they saw a figure, who 
addressed them as "Little Children/' John's sen- 
sitive nature knew that it was Jesus, and Peter 
acted at once on the impulse. The scene on the 
shore after the great catch of fish and the meal 
was full of reminiscences for Peter. Jesus probed 
his heart for his former boast about loving him 
more than the rest. The fire, the early dawn, the 
three questions pierced his heart with the mem- 
ory of his denials. But Jesus charged Peter with 
the duty of feeding the sheep when once he has 
turned and is really humble and filled with the 
Spirit of God. Pentecost saw that fulfilled. Peter 
was promised a martyr's crown in reality, now 
that he no longer was so self-confident, but even 
so he was curious about John. 

16. On the Mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28: 16-20; 
Mark 16: 15-18; 1 Corinthians 15: 6). 

At last the time came for the pre-arranged 
meeting. We are not told the name of the moun- 
tain, but word had been passed around to the 
faithful which required time. Over five hundred 
were assembled, probably the staunchest spirits 
among the believers. They were more numerous 
in Galilee and so the meeting was here. In Jeru- 
salem they had met behind closed doors at night. 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 127 

Here they met in the open and by day in all prob- 
ability. Paul tells the number, and Matthew im- 
plies more than the eleven, since "some doubted." 
They could hardly believe the evidence of their 
senses and perhaps wondered if they were not the 
victims of some hallucination. It is clear that 
Christianity has to make its way by the power of 
the Holy Spirit over the life of men, and not by 
supernatural objective manifestations, though 
these were necessary to gain a start. It is the 
experience of Christ in the heart of man, the wit- 
ness of the Spirit with our spirits, that wins and 
holds men to Christ. Jesus at this solemn moment 
on the mountain made supreme claims of author- 
ity and dominion and laid upon these five hundred 
disciples (all of them) the task of making dis- 
ciples of all the nations of the earth, baptizing 
them and teaching them. Note the threefold duty of 
evangelism or missions, church organization out 
of the converts (implied by baptism), and educa- 
tion in the doctrine of God (the teaching min- 
istry on the part of ministers, the home, the Sun- 
day school, the B. Y. P. U., the teacher-training 
work, newspapers and books, colleges and semi- 
naries, Bible distribution, tracts and colportage). 
The doctrine of the Trinity is here set forth by 
Jesus also. Some have objected that this great 
commission is too ecclesiastical to have been 
used on this occasion, since baptism is here en- 
joined by Jesus for the first time. But Jesus had 
himself submitted to baptism and his disciples at 
the first baptized under his direction and the 



128 Studies in the New Testament. 

commission lays out simply broad outlines of 
Christian activity. Evangelism is the work of 
conversion, nothing but missions in all its 
phases. Baptism presents the question of church 
affiliation in local bodies and follows conversion. 
Teaching covers the entire course of the Christian 
life and is absolutely essential to usefulness and 
service. The work of Christian education in its 
various phases is thus absolutely necessary for 
carrying out the will of Christ and for power in 
the work of the kingdom of God. Jesus promised 
to lead the hosts through all the ages. He is the 
Captain of salvation. 

17. James, the Brother of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15: 7). 

We are simply told by Paul the bare fact that 
Jesus did appear to his brother James. This was 
probably the cause of his conversion. We do not 
know whether Jesus met him in Galilee or Jeru- 
salem, but it was a sacred occasion when these 
two met. James, like the other brothers, had been 
unsympathetic with the work of Jesus. It was 
doubtless a sore trial to Jesus to be thus misunder- 
stood at home. The accession of James to the 
number of the disciples was of great importance 
in many ways. He soon attained much influ- 
ence, as we shall see, by reason of his great abil- 
ities and devotion. 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 129 

18. The Last Commission (Luke 24: 44-49; Acts 1: 

3-8). 

Luke alone records this appearance to the dis- 
ciples in Jerusalem just before the ascension. He 
opened their minds and then opened the Scrip- 
tures to them. Then he outlined the promises of 
the Father, the coming of the Holy Spirit for 
power and service not many days hence. The 
charge was laid upon them again to evangelize 
the world from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts 
of the earth, when once they have received power 
from on high for the task. 

19. The Last Look (Mark 16: 19f; Luke 24: 50-53; 

Acts 1: 9-12). 

They had seen Jesus now a number of times. 
They had heard his program for the conquest of 
the world. They had his promises for power 
from on high when the Holy Spirit inaugurated 
the new dispensation. And Jesus was really going 
to be with them through the Spirit. So he led them 
out upon Olivet, where they had been often be- 
fore; where he had sat and foretold his death 
and the destruction of Jerusalem. He blessed 
them, and a cloud swept by and he was gone. 
The disciples kept gazing skyward till two angels 
spoke in inspiriting tones and reminded them of 
Christ's promise to come back. To your tents, 
O Israel, and to your tasks ! Back to Jerusalem 
they went. In the temple they worshiped Jesus 
with joy and turned their faces to the future, now 
bright with hope and promise. 



130 Studies in the New Testament. 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

i. Importance of the fact of the resurrection 
of Jesus. 

2. Theories of the resurrection of Jesus. 

3. Doubt of the disciples. 

4. Christ's stay in the tomb. 

5. Visits of the women. 

6. The ten appearances of Jesus. 

7. The appearances in Jerusalem. 

8. The appearances in Galilee. 

9. The conviction of John. 

10. Mary and Jesus. 

11. The report of the guards. 

12. Cleopas and his companions. 

13. Peter and Jesus. 

14. The meeting without Thomas. 

15. Jesus and Thomas. 

16. By the Sea of Galilee. 

17. On the mountain in Galilee. 

18. James and Jesus. 

19. The last commission. 

20. The ascension. 



PART III. 
THE APOSTOLIC HISTORY. 



CHAPTERS OF PART III. 

VIII. Power for the New Start. 
IX. The New Witness for Christ. 
X. The Campaign for the Gentiles and the 
Protest of the Judaizers. 

XL Paul's Gospel. 

XII. Paul's Long Imprisonment. 

XIII. The Last Years of Paul. 

XIV. The Teaching of Peter and Jiide. 
XV. The Priesthood of Christ. 

XVI, Final Victory. 



CHAPTER VIII 



POWER FOR THE NEW START. 



1. The Book of Acts. 

This second volume by Luke carries on the 
story of Jesus and can be termed the Acts of 
Jesus or the Acts of the Holy Spirit. It is not a 
full story of the work of all the apostles nor of 
all the work of any of them. In truth, more than 
half of the book is devoted to the work of others 
than the twelve, Stephen and Philip (6, 7, 8) 
and Barnabas and then of Paul (11 : 19 to end of 
28). The point seems to be to show how Chris- 
tianity gained a foothold in Jerusalem in spite of 
the opposition of the Sadducees and how Stephen 
stirred up the Pharisees. Saul scattered the 
Christians and was himself converted and used 
to carry the gospel over the Roman empire, even 
to Rome, though as a prisoner. The book bristles 
with human interest and is invaluable in connec- 
tion with the Epistles for the study of the spread 
of the gospel of Jesus till the book closes with 
Paul in Rome (A.D. 60-63). 

2. The Concert of Prayer (Acts 1: 1-14). 

The end was only the beginning. This the dis- 
ciples came gradually to see. The culmination 

(133) 



134 Studies in the Neiv Testament. 

of the earthly work of Jesus was the beginning 
of the task of the followers of Jesus who had re- 
gained faith, hope and joy. But they still lacked 
comprehension of the meaning of all that they 
had seen and heard, and power to use what they 
did understand. They had the promise of Jesus 
that they should receive power from on high when 
the Holy Spirit should come upon them. They 
were to wait for the promise of the Father. They 
felt that Jesus, though ascended to the Father, 
was still with them. The time was not distant 
and they all gathered in prayer with great hearti- 
ness and unity. There were one hundred and 
twenty of them (men and women), and the 
mother of Jesus was there with the brothers also. 

3. A New Apostle (Acts 1: 15 L 26). 

During these days of prayer and waiting the 
disciples took stock of their situation, now that 
they were to launch upon the titanic task of world 
evangelization. The great commission had been 
given to all the believers, primarily as individual 
Christians, but they were certainly meant to wcrk 
together in carrying it out. We do not know how 
much of ecclesiastical organization existed before 
the great day of Pentecost, when the one hun- 
dred and twenty were still assembled. Soon a 
great local church was a reality in Jerusalem, 
with deacons and elders besides the apostles. 
Now the only officers apparently were the apostles 
and there were only eleven of them. Judas 
had gone wrong. There was no command from 



Power for the New Start. 135 

Jesus to fill the place of Judas, but Peter, resum- 
ing his place of leadership, offered a solution of 
the fate of Judas and proposed that his place be 
filled by one who was a witness of the work of 
Jesus from the baptism of John till now. The 
suggestion met with favor, but it excluded James, 
the brother of Jesus, who had been unfriendly 
till recently. The choice by prayer and lot fell 
on Matthias. He is not heard of more, but may 
have done well all the same. With the list of the 
twelve completed they waited. 

4. The New Era (Acts 2: 1-40). 

The disciples seemed to be conscious that thej 
faced a crisis and were waiting for the out- 
stretched hand, though they did not know how 
the hand would be manifested. But God's hour 
came at the feast of Pentecost (or first-fruits), 
just fifty days since the passover, when Jesus, the 
real Paschal Lamb, had been offered on the cross 
for the sin of the world. With the coming of 
the Holy Spirit the new dispensation opened that 
is to last till Jesus returns for the end. The 
supernatural demonstrations (sound of wind, 
tongues of fire, the speaking in various lan- 
guages) were merely proof of the coming of the 
Holy Spirit. These miracles were misunderstood 
by many. The tongues were understood by one 
or another of the Jews present from different 
parts of the world. But it was Peter who now 
undertook, under the fresh inflow of power from 
the Holy Spirit, to interpret not only the miracles 



136 Studies in the Neiv Testament. 

and the new day of power, but also the meaning 
of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 
This was the first formal attempt of that kind, 
and it remains today a masterpiece. It was not 
only a powerful exposition of what Joel and Da- 
vid had said, but a pointed and pungent presenta- 
tion of what the Jews had done to Jesus. The 
courage of Peter is remarkable right here in 
Jerusalem, where so recently he had shown such 
cowardice. He is now indeed a rock, as Jesus 
had said he would be. He boldly claimed the 
resurrection of Jesus as a fact with many wit- 
nesses to it and asserts the deity of Jesus (both 
Lord and Christ) whom they had crucified. Luke 
has probably given only a condensed report of 
this great address. It had an instant and tre- 
mendous effect. The appeal for light gave Peter 
his opportunity, which he used to explain how 
men can be saved by repentance toward God. 
The baptism, like that cf John the Baptist, was 
upon the basis of repentance and forgiveness 
of sins. He promised the Holy Spirit to all who 
called upon the name of the Lord, though Peter 
probably did not yet think of Gentiles being con- 
verted and remaining Gentiles. One step at a 
time. 

5. A Picture of Church Life (Acts 2: 41-47). 

These verses give a wonderfully vivid descrip- 
tion of the first days of activity after the endue- 
ment of the Holy Spirit. There were about three 
thousand that gladly received the word of Peter. 



Power for the New Start. 137 

These new converts were all baptized the same 
day. The one hundred and twenty had suddenly 
become three thousand. It was not a mere spurt, 
for they manifested steadfastness in doctrine and 
fellowship. Teaching followed the church member- 
ship. This worthy custom is not always followed 
today. New members are too often allowed to 
drift along and then away. It is impossible to 
have the right sort of church life without intelli- 
gent church members, trained in the doctrines 
of the faith and in the work of the church of 
Christ. The notes of a happy church were here 
(unity, instruction, fellowship or partnership, lib- 
erality, praise, prayer, gladness, 'singleness of 
heart). Small wonder that there was power in 
that church and the fear of God. It was a per- 
petual revival. 

6. Persecution from the Sadducees (Acts 3: 1 — 4: 31). 

Apparently the disciples had no idea at first 
of a breach with Judaism. They felt, as Jesus 
had shown in the Sermon on the Mount and after, 
that Christianity was the true Judaism and that 
the current Judaism had departed from the faith 
in rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. Hence, Peter 
and John went up as usual to worship in the tem- 
ple at the hours of prayer. It was thus that Peter 
was led to see and to heal the lame beggar at the 
Beautiful gate of the temple. The excited crowd 
that quickly gathered gave Peter an opportunity 
to preach Jesus, w T hich he did in another sermon 
of great force and insight, calling upon the people 



138 Studies in the New Testament. 

of Jerusalem to repent of their sins. This sermon 
might have caused a repetition of the result of the 
great pentecostal day but for the sudden arrest of 
Peter and John by the Sadducees, who had come 
up in time to hear Peter's attack on the Sanhe- 
drin as the murderers of Jesus and his preaching 
in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. It was 
no mere academic doctrine as the Pharisees held, 
but a real instance in the case of Jesus and with 
the added charge against the Jewish rulers of 
defying God. In the attack on Jesus the Phari- 
sees were the first to find fault with his criticism 
of their ceremonialism and externalism, while the 
Sadducees were drawn in on political grounds. 
But now the Sadducees lead the attack against the 
apostles while the Pharisees hold off for awhile. 
The Sadducees were evidently indignant at the 
rapid growth of the new heresy. The church 
now already numbered five thousand men (as dis- 
tinct from women, Acts 4:4). So now Peter 
and John stood before the very same body of men 
(the Sanhedrin) that had tried and condemned 
Jesus, while John went into the court room and 
Peter timidly stayed outside with the servants, be- 
ing afraid of being arrested himself. Now the 
Sanhedrin were amazed at the boldness of Peter 
and John, whom they recognized as having 
been seen w T ith Jesus. Peter defied the Sanhe- 
drin and charged them with crucifying Jesus, 
reaffirmed his claim of the resurrection of Jesus 
and asserted that eternal life was to be found only 
in the name of Jesus. It was all quite incredible, 



Power for the New Start. 139 

and yet the Sanhedrin found themselves unable 
to punish their impudence as it deserved because 
of popular knowledge of the healing of the lame 
man. Peter scouted their threats and declared 
his purpose to obey God and not man. So now 
the issue was joined. The disciples heard their 
report with awe and flew to the Lord in prayer 
for courage to do the brave and the true thing. 
Christianity was face to face with ecclesiastical 
bigotry. 

7. A Social Problem Within the Fold (Acts 4: 32— 
5: 11). 

The presence of persecution made the disciples 
more consecrated and more effective. They la- 
bored with great power and Gc-d added great 
grace. The poor were added in large numbers 
and were welcomed. Many of the Hellenistic 
Jews converted at Pentecost had remained. The 
temple funds were not for the followers of Jesus, 
now that the Sadducees had declared war upon 
them. There was probably a sort of boycott of 
the disciples in business. There was only one 
thing to do and that was for the disciples who had 
means to help those without money. It was done 
gladly and joyfully. Some of them did have 
property, like Joseph Barnabas of Cyprus. These 
placed their property at the disposal of the dis- 
ciples, who used it from time to time as occasion 
demanded. The social problem was thus solved 
nobly. But Ananias and Sapphira wished to have 
the credit for this voluntary liberality without the 



140 Studies in the New Testament. 

sacrifice involved. The penalty was swift and 
severe upon them both. Was it too severe ? Some 
have said so. But they had lied to the Holy Spirit 
and Peter acted for God in the matter. At any 
rate, it was a wholesome lesson and a needed one. 
The first trouble within the church at Jerusalem 
was thus over money. 

8. Prosperity (Acts 5: 12-16). 

The sudden death of Ananias and Sapphira had 
a solemn effect on all the people. It was clear 
that the type of communism practiced was volun- 
tary and local. It seems not to have existed outside 
of Jerusalem and to have been temporary there. 
The sharp rebuke by the death of the two pre- 
tenders made them all hesitate to claim extra 
piety unless they really possessed it. But the 
power and prestige of the apostles were at a 
premium. The insincere were held back but the 
number of real believers grew with rapid pace. 
It looks as if for days the apostles took a stand 
in Solomon's porch in the temple and healed all 
the sick that came. The crowds were so great 
that people actually sought to get in Peter's 
shadow to be healed. God seems to have hon- 
ored their faith in spite of their superstition. The 
work of preaching and healing went on together 
as was true of the work of Jesus. 

9. Renewed Persecution (Acts 5: 17-42). 

It appears that the Sadducees were a bit slow 
to arrest the apostles again, but finally they were 



Power for the New Start. \^.\ 

so filled with jealousy at the success of the dis- 
ciples in Jerusalem that they would stand it no 
longer. The decision to act came like an ex- 
plosion. The apostles had persistently defied the 
command not to teach in the name of Jesus. 
The sequel is very astonishing. The apostles 
were not in the prison next morning when 
sent for to come to trial. The council met, 
but the apostles could not be found. The per- 
plexity of the chief priests as to whereunto this 
thing would grow was very natural, when some- 
one reported that at that very moment the apos- 
tles were actually proclaiming Jesus in the tem- 
ple. It was like a huge joke on the Sanhedrin, 
who knew nothing of the angel's visit by night. 
Luke records the fear of the officers as they 
brought the apostles to trial. The high priest 
paid a high compliment to the effectiveness of the 
work of the apostles : "Ye have filled Jerusalem 
with your teaching/' The disclaimer of respon- 
sibility for the death of Jesus, when compared 
with the eager acceptance of it at the time like- 
wise shows that the Sanhedrin realize that Jesus 
still has friends among the jeople. They were 
then bent on carrying their point with Pilate, 
while now they wish to make a case against the 
apostles. But Peter, spokesman again before the 
Sanhedrin, does not hesitate to say : "Whom ye 
slew, hanging him on a tree/' He boldly re- 
asserted the fact of the resurrection of Jesus to 
the Sadducees and announces Jesus as Prince of 
life and Saviour from sin. The defense was short 



142 Studies in the New Testament 

and sharp and cut to the quick. The Sadducees 
were angry enough to murder Peter on the spot. 
The result might have been very serious but for 
the intervention of Gamaliel, the leading Pharisee 
of the time, who was glad of an opportunity to 
score a point against the Sadducees. When the 
apostles were excused for a moment, Gamaliel 
proceeded to tell the story of Theudas and Judas 
of Galilee who had run their course and passed 
away. He advocated the policy of laissez-faire, 
or non-interference on the plea that it would die 
if let alone unless God were with it. The doc- 
trine of Gamaliel will not do as a working prin- 
ciple always, but it divided the Sanhedrin and 
the Sadducees were outwitted. The apostles 
reaped the benefit of this attitude of Gamaliel, 
who was by no means a Christian. They were 
beaten and charged again not to preach in the 
name of Jesus. "They ceased not to teach and 
to preach Jesus as the Christ/' "rejoicing that 
they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for 
the Name." The disciples were safe from death 
because of a divided Sanhedrin. 

10. Jealousy among the Disciples (Acts 6: 1-6). 

It grew out of money and the women. The 
church at Jerusalem had many Grecian (Hel- 
lenistic) Jews (of the Dispersion), who imagined 
that in the distribution of the common fund al- 
ready raised there was discrimination against the 
Hellenistic widows in favor of the Aramaean 
widows (Palestinian Jews). It may have been 



Power for the New Start. 143 

all imagination, but, once started, it was hard to 
stop such talk that grew to murmuring and al- 
most to wrangling. There was material for a pretty 
quarrel. The apostles acted with great wisdom, 
expressing a desire to be rid of that part of the 
work. They requested the whole multitude 
(church) to select seven men to serve tables in 
this matter. The men chosen were all Hellenists, 
whereas the apostles were all Palestinian Jews. 
Thus the mouths of the Hellenistic Jews were 
closed on this subject, for the matter was now in 
their own hands. One of the seven (Nicolaus) 
was even a proselyte. We probably see here the 
origin of the office of deacon, though the point is 
not certain. 

11. The Conversion of Sadducees (Acts 6: 7). 

The statement that "a great company of priests 
were obedient to the faith" is significant. The 
priests were usually Sadducees, who had been so 
active in arresting the apostles. It is a fine out- 
come and doubtless embittered the Sadducees all 
the more. 

12. Stephen and the Pharisees (Acts 6: 8 — 7: 60). 

The disciples might have enjoyed a much 
longer period of comparative safety but for the 
activity of Stephen, one of the seven chosen to 
serve tables. He was a man full of the Holy 
Spirit and became very active in the synagogues 
of Jerusalem where the Hellenistic Jews wor- 
shiped. These Jews disputed with Stephen, but 



144 Studies in the New Testament. 

were no match for him. It is probable that in the 
Cilician synagogue Stephen was confronted by 
young Saul of Tarsus, the bright star of Judaism, 
fresh from the seminary of Gamaliel. But he, 
too, went down before Stephen. The teaching of 
Stephen took a turn similar to that of Jesus. The 
apostles had naturally laid chief emphasis on the 
fact of the resurrection of Jesus as proof of his 
Messiahship when taken in connection with his 
claims and his character and work. This had 
stirred the hostility of the Sadducees. But 
Stephen proclaimed in particular the spiritual 
nature of the worship of God as independent of 
a place like the temple. He made the heart the 
place of God's abode with man. The Pharisees 
recognized that this was the same note struck by 
Jesus whom they had persecuted to his death. So 
now the Pharisees take a fresh interest in the 
attack on the Christians and Gamaliel makes no 
point against the Pharisees in defense of Stephen. 
There is a curious parallel between the charge 
against Stephen and that against Jesus. They 
even hired false witnesses against him and were 
determined on his death from the start. The 
speech of Stephen is a skillful survey of Jewish 
history in justification of his main point, which 
he repeats, that God is not dependent on the tem- 
ple for his worship. Stephen turned the history 
of the Jews against them. They retorted with 
rage and the Sanhedrin turned into a mob and 
stoned him to death. It was illegal, but it was 
probably a time of transition as to procurators 



rower for the New Start. 145 

and, anyhow, confusion existed. The calm spirit 
of Stephen as he gazed upon the face of Jesus 
made its impress upon young Saul, who at least 
now had his revenge. 

13. Saul's Vengeance (Acts 8: 1-4). 

But the taste of blcod whets the appetite for 
more. Pharisee and Sadducee were now united 
again and Saul sprang to the front as leader in 
the first genuine persecution of the Christians as 
Christians. Only the apostles had heretofore 
been arrested, but now none were free from per- 
secution. Even women were committed to prison 
and sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin, which 
was once more exercising the power of life and 
death. Saul did not hesitate to enter into private 
homes to make arrests. He hunted the church 
like a flock of partridges that fluttered as they flew. 
Those not caught flew far and wide and told of 
Jesus as they went. Thus were the lay preachers 
forced to go out of Jerusalem to carry the good 
news to Judea, Samaria and the uttermost part of 
the earth. Too long they had tarried in Jerusalem. 

14. The Work of Philip (Acts 8: 5-40). . 

Another one of the seven comes to the fore, 
while the apostles seem comparatively inactive, 
though they at least withstood Saul's attacks in 
Jerusalem. Philip's great success in Samaria was 
among a people only half-Jews and thoroughly 
disliked, and yet Peter and John made no objec- 
tion, when they came, to the baptism of these Sa- 
10 



146 Studies in the New Testament. 

maritans by Philip which had already taken place. 
The Samaritans had been circumcised and were 
technically Jews. But at any rate the gospel 
was spreading farther from Jerusalem. The case 
of Simon Magus is typical of impostors in all 
ages who know their own hollowness and rate 
other people at their own estimate of themselves. 
His proposal to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit 
proves that, though baptized, he was a hypocrite 
and unsaved. Simony to this day is a sin bearing 
his name, when one seeks to buy ecclesiastical 
preferment. The case of the eunuch from Ethio- 
pia reveals the brighter side of Philip's work. He 
may have been a proselyte, but even so he was 
hardly a Jew by birth, though evidently interested 
and a reader of the Septuagint. Christ can save 
a man of Ethiopia or a man of Samaria. Philip 
worked also in Philistia. Evidently Christianity 
is not dead. 

15. Peter and Cornelius (Acts 9: 32—10. 48). 

This important episode is recorded after the 
conversion of Saul and after peace came to the 
church (Acts 9: 31). We shall leave that great 
event for the next chapter. Peter now felt jus- 
tified in leaving Jerusalem for awhile. We see 
him at Lydda and at Joppa. The vision that came 
to Peter on the housetop of Simon the tanner 
was a necessary preparation for the work before 
him in the house of Cornelius, the Roman cen- 
turion in Csesarea. The protest of Peter reveals 
the strength of his Jewish prejudices and the 



Power for the New Start. 147 

difficulties in the way of giving the gospel to the 
heathen. Peter evidently as yet had supposed 
that the heathen would become Jews as well as 
Christians. The two men had to be prepared for 
each other (Peter and Cornelius). Even so 
Peter showed embarrassment when he violated 
his Jewish customs and entered the house of Cor- 
nelius. However, he preached the free gospel of 
grace to Cornelius and his household, which God 
greatly honored, and Peter had the converts bap- 
tized. Here was in fact a Roman church. Peter 
had crossed the Rubicon. The Spirit of God 
came in such power on these Gentiles that it was 
like a Gentile Pentecost. 

16. The Protest of the Pharisaic Christians in Jeru- 
salem (Acts 11: 1-18). 

It was inevitable. The Pharisees had perse- 
cuted Jesus and Stephen. Those now Christians 
were still Pharisees and had no idea of being 
aught else. Hence, this party, for now we see 
parties in the Jerusalem church, made public pro- 
test to Peter against his conduct in Csesarea. The 
first case of church discipline, for Ananias and 
Sapphira were simply struck dead, was that of 
Peter at the hands of the reactionary anti-mis- 
sionary (Hardshell) element in the church in 
Jerusalem for preaching the gospel to the heathen 
and eating in Cornelius' house. Peter admitted 
the charge and recounted God's dealings to show 
that it was the will and work of God. He ap- 
pealed to the six brethren as witnesses of his 



148 Studies in the New Testament. 

words. The Pharisaic party submitted for the 
moment, but there was trouble ahead. 

17. The Hand of the State (Acts 12: 1-24). 

Herod Agrippa I is king of all Palestine A.D. 
42-44, and while at Jerusalem killed James, the 
brother of John, with the sword. Anxious to 
please the Jews, he arrested Peter and placed him 
in prison. Now the civil power is used against 
the apostles for the first time. The Pharisees and 
Sadducees finally made Pilate do their bidding 
against Jesus. So now it is true of Herod 
Agrippa I. It was a crucial moment for the dis- 
ciples, and they met in the house of Mary, the 
mother of John Mark, for prayer. God heard 
them and set Peter free by an angel's visit, and 
Peter seems soon to have left Jerusalem for a 
place of safety. James, the brother of Jesus, 
is now the leader in Jerusalem. The death of 
Herod came as a punishment from God and a 
blessing to the Christians. (See Acts 12 : 2$f.) 

18. The Epistle of James. 

There is a great deal of dispute as to the date 
of this Epistle, written by the brother of Jesus, 
who had become leader in Jerusalem. It is argued 
that James wrote in reply to Paul's doctrine of 
salvation by grace and taught salvation by works. 
But James taught salvation by true faith that was 
proved by works (James 2: 18). This is the 
position of John the Baptist, of Jesus, of Peter, 



Power for the Neiv Start. 149 

of John, and of Paul himself. Paul may have 
had in mind a perversion of James' insistence on 
works as proof of faith. It does not seem likely 
that James knew of Paul's teaching when he 
wrote. The atmosphere of the Epistle is early. 
It was probably written before the Jerusalem con- 
ference with no reference to the Judaizing con- 
troversy. The Epistle is a wonderfully clear and 
able discussion of real religion. James was a 
thorough Jew and the book is very much like one 
of the Old Testament prophecies glorified with 
Christianity. James shows knowledge of the 
teachings of Jesus whom he worships as Lord. 
James wrote to the Christian Jews of the Eastern 
Dispersion. His position at Jerusalem gave him 
the ear of these believers. He probably wrote 
about A.D. 48. 



150 Studies in the Netc Testament. 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1. Prayer. 

2. Matthias. 

3. The baptism of the Holy Spirit. 

4. The Sadducaic persecution. 

5. Christian socialism. 

6. Class jealousy in church. 

7. Stephen. 

8. Pharisaic persecution. 

9. Saul as persecutor. 

10. Philip. 

11. Simon Magus. 

12. The eunuch of Ethiopia. 

13. Cornelius. 

14. The work of Peter with the heathen. 

15. The Gentile Pentecost. 

16. The Pharisaic element in Christianity. 

17. Civil power and Christianity. 

18. The Epistle of James. 



CHAPTER IX, 



THE NEW WITNESS FOR CHRIST. 



We can here only sketch the career of Saul up 
to Acts 12 : 25 — just before he entered upon his 
first mission campaign. The work of this great 
apostle to the Gentiles covers a large part of the 
apostolic period, and has to be discussed in vari- 
ous chapters from several angles. No attempt is 
here made to piece together the items known 
about Saul's youth and training, for which one 
must consult the various books on Paul. 

1. The Breath of Slaughter (Acts 9: If; 22: 3-5; 26: 
4-11; Galatians 1: 13f). 

Paul tells us enough himself in his speeches 
and letters for us to know the broad outline of the 
young man who meets us at the stoning of 
Stephen (Acts 7: 58f), who carried on a sys- 
tematic and extremely successful persecution 
against the Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 8 : 1-4), 
and who now starts towards Damascus to finish 
his task (Acts 9: if). We know that he was 
born in Tarsus and was a Pharisee, the son of a 
Pharisee. Though a Hellenistic Jew, he was 
not a Hellenizer, but of Aramaean ancestry. He 
belonged to the tribe of Benjamin and was proud 

(151) 



152 Studies in the New Testament. 

of his lineage and loyal to the traditions of his 
house. He was born a Roman citizen and studied 
under Gamaliel in Jerusalem. The life of Tarsus 
and Jerusalem blended in him in a way. Though 
a thorough Jew, he yet had a cosmopolitan cut- 
look and had some contact with the culture of the 
world. But in spirit he was a Pharisee of the 
most straitest sect. He was very much aroused 
against the Christian movement as endangering 
the future of Pharisaism. We do net know 
whether he ever saw and heard Jesus before his 
crucifixion or not. On the whole, perhaps we 
have to think that he did not. But, at any rate, 
he was keenly alive to the issues presented by the 
preaching of Stephen. He at once becomes the 
leader in the great movement to stamp out Chris- 
tianity. The death of Jesus had made the situa- 
tion worse than ever from the Jewish standpoint, 
for the pestiferous heresy had taken root in Jeru- 
salem instead of Galilee. The Sadducees had 
failed miserably in their attempt to crush the sect 
of the Nazarenes. It was now the turn of the 
Pharisees with Saul as the leader. He had de- 
veloped remarkable capacity for leadership and 
efficiency. The old leaders in Judaism at once 
stepped aside and gave this brilliant young man 
the right of way. He was probably already a 
member of the Sanhedrin, as he speaks of his vote 
in the body (Acts 26: 10). He had certainly 
scattered the Jerusalem Christians far and wide. 
Some had been slain and yet Saul was not sat- 
isfied. "But Saul, yet breathing threatening and 



The New Witness for Christ. 153 

slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went 
unto the high priest and asked of him letters to 
Damascus. " The very breath of Saul had come 
to be the death of the disciples. This he inhaled 
and exhaled. He was not sure that there were 
any disciples in Damascus, but he wished to go 
and see. This authority of the Sanhedrin over 
Jews outside of Palestine is somewhat like the 
power of the Pope over Roman Catholics every- 
where. Christianity is termed "the Way/' and 
Saul was after women as well as men. He has 
buried his scruples in the lust for blood for the 
glory of Pharisaism. • 

2. Stopped by Jesus. (Acts 9: 4-9; 22: 6-11; 26: 12- 
19; 1 Corinthans 15: 8-10; Galatians 1: 15f). 

It was the last thing in Saul's thoughts, for he 
started to Damascus as a conqueror and the hero 
of a triumphant Pharisaism. True, there had 
been moments when doubt had crossed his mind. 
The death of Stephen made its mark upon him. 
Some of the women, as they died, seemed also to 
be looking at the face of Christ. But Saul had 
drowned these broodings in more slaughter. Every 
phrase in the narrative of Luke in Paul's Epistle 
has been scrutinized with the greatest care, for 
the conversion of this man marks one of the 
turning points in history, and forms one of the 
chief bulwarks of the historical foundation of 
Christianity. The Epistles of Paul bear direct 
and explicit witness to the fact that Jesus ap- 
peared to him on the road to Damascus in the 



154 Studies in the New Testament. 

same fashion as he appeared to Peter and the 
rest. The details are given by Luke in three 
places with minor variations that do not affect 
the main point, which agrees with Paul's own 
statement. The fact that Luke gives Paul's two 
addresses in chapters 22 and 26, in addition to 
his own account in chapter 9, shows his estimate 
of the importance of the event. Luke probably 
heard both of these speeches of Paul and could 
have made notes on them. All sorts of theories 
have been advanced to explain away the inevi- 
table meaning of the whole story that Saul saw 
the risen Jesus and heard his voice. No epileptic 
fit, no sunstroke, no swoon, no flash of lightning 
can explain what occurred. The career of Saul 
as persecutor is stopped, and at once. No pos- 
sible motive for a voluntary change on Saul's 
part can be imagined. He was seized upon by 
Jesus, to whom he surrendered on the spot, and 
his whole life turned about in exactly the opposite 
direction. It is an epoch in the history of Chris- 
tianity. 

3. Baptized by Ananias (Acts 9: 10-19; 22: 12-16). 

In the vision Jesus had told Saul to go 
to Damascus where it would be told him what he 
must do. In his blindness he went on, led by the 
hand of one of his companions. He could not 
see for the glory of that light which he had seen. 
At the house of Judas he prayed and waited. God 
had to prepare a man to minister to Saul, for all 
the Christians in Damascus were afraid of him. 



The New Witness for Christ. 155 

Ananias made protest to Jesus, who appeared to 
him in a vision, before he was willing to go (cf. 
Peter and Cornelius). At the hands of Ananias 
Saul had his eyes opened, receiving the gift of 
the Holy Spirit. Ananias told him of the mis- 
sion assigned him, and baptized him. "For thou 
shalt be a witness for him unto all men of what 
thou hast seen and heard" (Acts 22 : 15) . He was 
appointed by Jesus as minister and witness, both 
of what he had seen and what he would see when 
Jesus would appear to him in the future (Acts 
26: 16), an apostle on a par with the twelve 
appointed directly by Jesus himself while on 
earth (Galatians 1: 12). So Saul was qualified 
for his great mission and tarried in Damascus a 
few days with the disciples who had to get used 
to seeing him in his new role. The wolf had 
suddenly become a lamb. 

4. Preaching Jesus in Damascus (Acts 9: 20-22; 
26: 20a). 

He soon began to preach in Damascus. "He 
proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God" 
(Acts 9: 20). This he knew by experience as 
the basis of his new theology and this remained 
to the end the cardinal tenet with Paul. Jesus 
was the Messiah, the Son of God. Everything 
else in his theology and philosophy had to be re- 
adjusted to that proposition. The people who 
heard Saul were amazed at his sudden change of 
base, but he grew in power and confounded the 
Jews. Christianity had now a witness superior 



156 Studies in the New Testament. 

in mental endowments and scholastic training to 
any of the twelve; had won, in fact, the chief 
exponent of Pharisaism who has new become a 
champion of Christ. 

5. Turning to Arabia (Galatians 1: 16f). 

Saul faced a crisis. He must either go back 
to Jerusalem where he now had no friends at all, 
go on here at Damascus where he was an object 
of suspicion, or seek a new environment. He 
decided on the last plan and retired to Arabia. 
He may even have gene as far as Mt. Sinai, and 
there in the shadow of the rocks where Moses 
found God's message Saul may have reflected on 
the new turn in his affairs. He had plenty to 
think about. Much in his Pharisaism was true, 
but he had to change completely his old theory of 
a political Messiah and a political kingdom, for 
Jesus was dead and risen and no such kingdom 
was now possible. Besides, Jesus had appointed 
Saul apostle to the Gentiles. What place in this 
new kingdom was there for Gentiles? Peter 
faced that problem at Csesarea as Paul did in 
Arabia. Saul conferred not with flesh and blood. 
He knew Pharisaism, the Jewish apocalyptic 
teaching, and the main outlines of Christianity. 
Just now he wished communion with Jesus and 
reflection more than anything else. He must have 
time to put his theological house in order before 
he undertook to tear down what he had so lately 
sought to build up. Saul was not idle in Arabia, 
we may be sure, but preached Jesus as occasion 
offered. 



The New Witness for Christ. ^57 

6. In Damascus Again (Acts 9: 23-25; Galatians 1: 

17; 2 Corinthians 11: 32f). 

Saul wished to ccme back to Damascus again 
to show the brethren where he had been recog- 
nized as a disciple of Jesus and where he had 
first preached that he was faithful to his new 
profession. He came back after a year or so in 
Arabia with a firmer grip than before on his 
fundamental contention that Jesus was the Mes- 
siah, the Son of God (both God and man). This 
he set forth with so much energy that the Jews 
planned to kill him. Thus early was Saul given 
a taste of the same medicine that he had so often 
given to the disciples in Jerusalem. The Jews 
watched the gates by day and night, and even 
enlisted the help of Aretas, the king (2 Corinthians 
11: 32) , who at this time had charge of Damascus. 
The plot leaked out and the disciples of Saul 
(showing that Saul had won some to Jesus in 
Damascus) arranged for his escape. It was a 
somewhat humiliating departure through a hole 
in the wall in a basket at night, but it was suc- 
cessful at any rate. This was the first of many 
narrow escapes in store for Saul. 

7. In Jerusalem with the Disciples (Acts 9: 26-29; 

22: 17-21; 26: 20; Galatians 1: 18f). 

Whither should Saul now go ? Sooner or later 
he must go to Jerusalem, not that he felt the need 
of any ecclesiastical authority or endorsement 
from the twelve, but it was only common courtesy 
to go to see Peter and the rest and see how they 



» 



158 Studies in the New Testament. 

would look upon his ministry. It would seem as 
if Saul's conversion was not known in Christian 
circles in Jerusalem, or at least not believed, 
though he had been gone some three years (in 
round numbers). At any rate, when he appeared 
in Jerusalem he met with a very cold reception 
from the disciples, who still regarded him as the 
persecutor, while the Sanhedrin considered him 
a turncoat and a renegade. It was only after 
Barnabas had the courage to take Saul's side that 
the disciples opened their hearts to Saul. Then 
Saul and Cephas had a good time together. He 
saw also James, the Lord's brother, and preached 
in the Hellenistic synagogues with such power 
that the Jews plotted to kill him. Saul was now 
willing to be a martyr in Jerusalem, as Stephen 
had been, whose blood he had helped to shed. 
It is interesting to note how Saul has come to 
take the same theological position as Stephen, and 
to be his real successor. Jesus had to appear to 
Saul in a trance and bid him depart before he 
was willing to go. He was to go far hence unto 
the Gentiles. The brethren came with Saul down 
to Qesarea and he was gone. No longer was he 
the hero of the Pharisees. Not yet is he the 
trusted apostle among the disciples. But Jesus 
loved him. This he knew. 

8. Back in Tarsus and Cilicia (Acts 9: 30; Galatians 
1: 21-23). 

One can very well imagine the feelings of Saul 
as he returned to Tarsus. If his father and 



The New Witness for Christ. 159 

mother were living, what would they think of 
their brilliant son, now that he is a follower of 
Jesus, the despised Nazarene? He had been 
educated for a rabbi and now he is only a Chris- 
tian preacher. And what would Saul's old com- 
panions in Tarsus think of his new experience? 
We do not know specifically that Saul preached in 
Tarsus, but we do know that he was busy in 
Syria and Cilicia. He was apparently all alone 
in this great region, but he preached Jesus and 
with such success that the news of it spread to 
the churches of Judea, who glorified God in Paul. 
These years in the Roman provinces of Syria and 
Cilicia w r ere by no means idle years. He was 
already far hence among the Gentiles from the 
standpoint of Jerusalem and Jewish Christianity, 
though at home when in Tarsus, the city of his 
birth. But Saul did not wait for a formal move- 
ment on the part of Jewish Christians to send 
him to the Gentiles. He plunged right to work 
among the Gentiles, supported himself and laid 
the foundation for a great work. For later churches 
were there which he strengthened (Acts 15 : 41). 
Tarsus was his base of operations, but he worked 
through all the region round about. 

9. With Barnabas in Antioch (Acts 11: 19-29; 12: 25). 

In a sense, Saul was responsible for the preach- 
ing of the gospel to the Greeks in Antioch, for 
he had scattered the men of Cyprus and Cyrene, 
who came as far as Antioch and who ventured to 
preach the goods news to Greeks, as Peter had 



160 Studies in the New Testament. 

done to the Roman Cornelius and his household 
at Csesarea. The news of this new departure 
came to Jerusalem and Barnabas was sent to 
make investigation. He came and, being a good 
man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, he 
remained without going back to report. He 
probably knew of the experience of Peter. The 
work grew and Barnabas needed help. He knew 
who was the man and he was near. Tarsus was 
not far from Antioch. Barnabas believed in Saul 
and had watched his work at Tarsus. So he 
brought him to Antioch. The two men of oppor- 
tunity joined hands. A glorious year of ingather- 
ing and of growth followed. There was now a 
great Greek church in Antioch surrounded by the 
smaller churches established by Saul already. 
Antioch was the center of the Greek Christian 
life. The name Christian, given here for the first 
time, was in the nature of a nick-name. The dis- 
ciples in Antioch were not Jews and so had to 
have a name of their own. They were the follow- 
ers of Christ. The wisdom of Barnabas and Saul 
is seen in the visit to Jerusalem with a handsome 
contribution to the poor saints in Jerusalem. 
Barnabas had himself been a generous contributor 
to the fund there and he knew the need for help. 
Besides, it was now a time of famine. This gift 
from the Greek Christians would show their sin- 
cerity and would be far better than argument 
about the conversion of the Gentiles. The Phari- 
saic party at Jerusalem had agreed to what took 
place in Csesarea. They could not consistently 



The New Witness for Christ. \Q\ 

object to a similar work of grace in Antioch. The 
visit was well received by the elders in Jerusalem, 
who are now mentioned for the first time. They 
correspond to pastors or bishops of a later period. 
On the return of Barnabas and Saul to Antioch 
they took along John Mark. The apostles seem 
to have been missed by Barnabas and Saul. Per- 
haps they went up just after the death of James 
and the arrest and release of Peter. 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

i. The ancestry of Saul. 

2. Tarsus. 

3. Education of Saul. 

4. Saul and Stephen. 

5. Damascus. 

6. Saul and the Sanhedrin. 

7. Conversion of Saul. 

8. Ananias. 

9. Saul in Arabia. 

10. Saul's new standpoint. 

11. Saul in Damascus. 

12. Saul in Jerusalem with Barnabas and 
Peter. 

13. Saul's call as an apostle. 

14. Saul in Tarsus. 

15. Saul in Antioch. 

16. The work of Peter. 

17. The work of Barnabas. 



11 



CHAPTER X. 



THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE GENTILES 

AND THE PROTEST OF THE 

JUDAIZERS. 



The material is so rich for this period that one 
must make selection and use great condensation. 
In the first and second missionary journeys, Paul 
covered new ground, while in the third, in the 
main, he merely revisited and reworked the old 
fields. This chapter will, therefore, embrace the 
first two campaigns, while the third is reserved 
for the next chapter. 

1. The First Great Tour (Acts 13, 14). 

(a) The Slow Steps Forward (Acts 1-12). 

The Great Commission included all nations. 
At the great Pentecost Jews from many nations 
were converted. The persecution of Saul had 
scattered the disciples far and wide. Samaria 
and Philistia were reached. Finally Romans at 
Csesarea and Greeks at Antioch were converted 
and not circumcised, in spite of the objections 
of the Pharisaic element in Jerusalem. Saul had 
been busy in Cilicia before Antioch.. What next? 
It is probably A.D. 47. 

(162) 




(163) 



164 Studies in the New Testament. 

(b) The Impulse from the Holy Spirit (Acts 13: 1,2). 

There were prophets and teachers in the church 
at Antioch, while there were the twelve apostles 
in the church in Jerusalem. But the specific 
message to enter upon a general campaign 
among the Gentiles came to the prophets in An- 
tioch. The Great Commission of Jesus was given 
to the five hundred in Galilee, including the eleven 
apostles, but they had not carried out that com- 
mission. So now the Holy Spirit spoke to men 
in Antioch, in a new environment, free from Jew- 
ish exclusiveness. The message was heard and 
obeyed. It does not appear that the church in 
Antioch took any formal action in the matter. 
They did, however, approve the campaign under 
the command of the Holy Spirit and prayed for 
the new missionaries and wished them well. Such 
hearty approval was not possible at Jerusalem, be- 
cause of the Pharisaic element (Acts n: if) 
there. The church at Antioch did not finance 
the enterprise. 

(c) The Mission Band (Acts 13: 2-5). 

The Holy Spirit named Barnabas and Saul and 
in this order. Barnabas was the older and the 
more experienced and had invited Saul to come 
to Antioch. Saul had been called by Jesus the 
chosen vessel for this very task, but none the 
less he must wait for the development of events, 
and Saul knew how to help as well as how to lead. 
The selection of John Mark, a cousin of Barna- 
bas, was probably due to Barnabas. He was 



Campaign for the Gentiles. Jg5 

merely "attendant" and was not named by the 
Holy Spirit in the call. But it is a noble band, 
these three, as they start upon the first formal 
evangelistic campaign on an extended 'scale 
among the Gentiles. Barnabas is from Cyprus, 
Saul from Tarsus, and John Mark from Jerusa- 
lem. Not a single one of the twelve is in the 
number. 

(d) The Course Pursued (Acts 13: 4 — 14: 25). 

The choice of Cyprus was obvious. It was near, 
was the home of Barnabas, was also the abode 
of some Jews and Christians who would serve as 
a starting point. The details of the work are 
given by Luke with varying fullness. In Cyprus 
the opposition of Elymas Bar- Jesus, the Jewish 
sorcerer, to the conversion of Sergius Paulus, the 
proconsul at Paphos, brought Paul to the front 
as he fiercely denounced the oily and wily sooth- 
sayer. Henceforth Luke uses Paul instead of 
Saul, as Paul does always in his Epistles. Prob- 
ably both names were given him at birth, Saulus 
Paulus, one Jewish and the other Roman. From 
this point on it was "Paul and his company/' 
"Paul and Barnabas/' but there was no sign of 
jealousy on the part of Barnabas at this leader- 
ship of his colleague. The desertion of John 
Mark at Perga in Pamphylia was a sad display 
of inconstancy. He went home to Jerusalem be- 
cause unwilling to face the perils of rivers and 
perils of robbers upon the high plateau of Pisidia 
and Lycaonia, whither Paul and Barnabas were 



166 Studies in the New Testament. 

bent on going. At Antioch in Pisidia Paul 
preached a sermon of great power in the Jewish 
synagogue, the outline of which Luke gives us. 
This is the first full outline of a sermon by Paul 
that is preserved for us, and it is very interest- 
ing in showing how he lays down the main items 
of his theology as seen in his Epistles, such as the 
Messiahship of Jesus, his atoning death, his resur- 
rection from the dead, remission of sin through 
Jesus, justification by faith and not by the law 
of Moses. This message met a hearty response 
from many of the Jews and the devout proselytes 
present. In fact, Paul had succeeded entirely too 
well, and the next Sabbath the Jewish leaders in- 
terrupted Paul, who turned to the Gentiles. But 
the Jews managed to arouse the chief men of the 
city and the pious women against Paul and Barna- 
bas. They moved on to Iconium and Lystra where 
the story was repeated. The Jews came on from 
Antioch in Pisidia and stirred up the multitude 
against the missionaries. Modern missionaries 
have met like experiences. At Lystra Paul came 
near to death at the hands of the fickle mob who 
had first taken him to be a god. In Pisidia and 
Lycaonia Paul and Barnabas were in the south- 
ern part of the province of Galatia. The limit 
of the tour was Derbe, where Paul and Barnabas 
retraced their steps in order to establish the 
churches and equip them with officers. 



Campaign for the Gentiles. Xg7 

(e) The Reception at Antioch in Syria (Acts 14: 
26-28). 

It was a joyful welcome on the return of the 
missionaries to the home church. The outstand- 
ing thing was that the door of faith for the Gen- 
tiles stood wide open. Should they keep it open? 

2. The Demand of the Judaizers (Acts 15: If). 

The news spread to Jerusalem, and the Phari- 
saic element that had brought Peter before the 
church decided to go up to Antioch and lay down 
the law to Paul and Barnabas. They said bluntly 
to the Greek Christians : "Except ye be circum- 
cised after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be 
saved." It was all very disconcerting to the 
Gentile converts who had followed Barnabas and 
Paul in simple trust to have these brethren come 
from Jerusalem, the mother church, and speak so 
dogmatically to the effect that the work of 
Barnabas and Paul was all wrong. It was a most 
serious crisis. To agree to this demand would 
be to make Christianity merely a branch of 
Pharisaism and to impose the law of Moses on 
the Gentile world. Paul and Barnabas had long 
ago thought this whole matter through and were 
ready to defend their position. They did so 
promptly and effectively. The Judaizers failed 
to shake Paul and Barnabas and the church at 
Antioch was loyal to Gentile freedom. 



168 Studies in the New Testament. 

3. The Decision at Jerusalem (Acts 15: 2-35; Gala- 
tians 2: 1-10). 

One cannot say that Paul agreed to go to 
Jerusalem to find out what to believe on this 
subject. He had made up his mind on the point 
of Gentile liberty from Jewish ceremonialism. 
But there was great wisdom in going. It was 
important that Jerusalem and Antioch should 'see 
alike on this question. There was no reason to 
think that the apostles took the narrow view of 
the Judaizers. Peter himself had already been 
the victim of their attack on this very point, but 
it was eminently wise to see these face to face 
before matters had gone further. Some scholars 
do not place the public conference in Acts 15 and 
the private interview in Galatians 2*. 1-10 at the 
same visit, but, all things considered, it is prob- 
able that we have simply different aspects of the 
same visit, A.D. 49 or 50. Paul is interested in 
Galatians to show his independence of the apostles 
in Jerusalem and mentions the conference to show 
how they agreed with him in spite of the com- 
promising spirit of some of the timid brethren 
who wished Titus circumcised to satisfy the 
Judaizers, whom Paul terms "false brethren." 
There was evidently some heat, and Paul felt 
keenly the issue at stake, but he and the leaders 
(James, Peter and John) saw eye to eye and 
agreed on a division of work in broad outline. 
There were probably two public meetings w T ith 
the private conference coming in between Acts 
15:5 and 6. At the second public meeting the 



Campaign for the Gentiles. \QQ 

whole matter was discussed openly and at length 
by all sides. Peter took strong ground for Paul, 
as did James, who presided. Peter showed how 
the Jews themselves had to believe in order to 
be saved, and James showed how Amos had 
prophesied the salvation of the Gentiles. The 
conference voted unanimously for Paul and 
Barnabas and sent a letter, probably written by 
James, up to Antioch by Judas and Silas. The 
freedom of the Gentiles from the ceremonial law 
was guaranteed. They were asked to abstain 
from idolatry, murder and fornication (Gentile 
vices) and to respect Jewish sensibility about 
things strangled and meats offered to idols. This 
they would readily do. Paul won a clear vic- 
tory and there was great rejoicing at Antioch. 

4. The Weakness of Peter and Barnabas at Antioch 

(Galatians 2: 11-21). 

We do not know the precise date of this visit 
of Peter to Antioch, whether before the second 
mission tour, as is likely, or afterward. But 
Peter entered into full fellowship with the Gen- 
tile Christians in social as well as church life. 
The Jerusalem conference had not passed on the 
subject of social relations between Jewish and 
Gentile Christians, and the Judaizers, who had 
been so completely vanquished by Paul in Jeru- 
salem, w r ere probably glad of a fresh excuse for 
reopening the controversy. So, when some of 
them came up to Antioch, they claimed to come 
from James, though James had flatly disclaimed 



170 Studies in the New Testament. 

responsibility for their former visit (Acts 15 : 
24). It is not likely that James had sent such 
a committee to investigate Peter's ccnduct with 
the Gentile Christians, though probably Peter 
had gone further in the matter of social equality 
than James himself would have done. But the 
threat had its effect on Peter, "fearing them that 
were of the circumcision." It was a plain case 
of cowardice on Peter's part, not of change of 
conviction. He had been arraigned before the 
church at Jerusalem once before On this very 
charge (Acts 11 : if). It was a lapse of courage, 
such as he had suffered at the time of his denials 
of Christ. Even Barnabas was led away by the 
dissimulation of Peter and the other Jewish 
Christians at Antioch. It cut Paul to the quick 
and, standing alone for Gentile liberty, he de- 
nounced Peter to his face in the presence of all 
as acting like a Judaizer and playing the hypo- 
crite. Certainly Paul did not regard Peter as 
the pope ! Peter and Barnabas were won back 
to Paul's side. It was a hard thing to do, but 
better far to have spoken strongly than to have 
kept still and lost all that had been won. 

5. The Second Great Tour (Acts 15: 36—18: 22). 

(a) The Dispute Over John Mark (Acts 15: 36-40). 

Paul's suggestion to return to see how the 
churches fared led Barnabas to propose that they 
take Mark again. It was a sharp disagreement, 
as Paul would have none of it. There was much 




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(171) 



172 Studies in the New Testament. 

to be said on both sides, and they agreed to dis- 
agree, as people usually have to do in such mat- 
ters. Paul wished no more experiments with a 
quitter and Barnabas wanted Mark to have an- 
other chance. So Barnabas left for Cyprus with 
Mark and Luke drops the narrative of his career. 
Paul took Silas in place of Barnabas and they 
left with the good-will of the church at Antioch. 

(b) Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15: 41). 

Paul visited the churches that he had estab- 
lished before coming to Antioch to help Barna- 
bas and confirmed them. 

(c) Lycaonia (Acts 16: 1-5). 

Paul came through the Cilician gates over the 
Taurus mountains and struck Derbe first and 
then Lystra. At Lystra he found Timothy, a son 
in the gospel of the first tour, who was already 
an active worker with a good reputation. Paul 
wanted him in lieu of Mark, but he was half-Jew 
and half-Greek and would be the occasion of con- 
stant irritation with the Jewish Christians. There 
was no principle at stake as in the case of Titus, 
and so Paul had Timothy circumcised. Paul car- 
ried the Jerusalem decrees with him to assure 
the Gentile churches of their liberty. 

(d) Phrygia and Galatia (Acts 16: 6). 

Luke makes no mention of Iconium in Pisidia, 
save that Timothy was highly esteemed there. 
Paul wished to push on westward to Ephesus 



Campaign for the Gentiles. 173 

in Asia, but the Holy Spirit forbade him. Hence, 
Paul turned to the north through southeastern 
Phrygia and western Galatia. This is the natural 
meaning of the language, though Paul is already 
in the province of Galatia, which included the old 
Galatia, Lycaonia, Pisidia, and part of Phrygia. 
Hence, Galatia, like Phrygia and Lycaonia, could 
be used in the narrower sense of the old Galatia 
to the north. Scholars are not agreed about this 
point, some holding that Paul never entered this 
old Galatia at all, but the text of Luke in Acts 
16: 6 seems clear at any rate. It would still be 
an open question to whom Paul addressed his 
Epistle to the Galatians. If he wrote to the north 
Galatian churches, he meant to go on without 
stopping, but an infirmity (illness?) of the flesh 
led to his enforced residence (Galatians 4: 13). 
Possibly Luke may have saved hi's life at this 
time. 

(e) Troas (Acts 16: 7-10). 

At any rate, Luke was at Troas on the coast 
in Mysia (part of the province of Asia). For- 
bidden to go farther north into Bithynia, as he 
had been prevented from going west into Asia, 
Paul split the difference and went northwest to 
Troas (really in Asia, after all). He would not 
go back nor go east to Babylonia. The call to 
Macedonia that came by vision at Troas brought 
Paul to a fresh crisis in his ministry. He faced 
the problem of going to Europe, he an Asiatic 
Jew. He was near where Alexander the Great 



174 Studies m'the New Testament. 

had landed when he came from Macedonia to 
conquer Asia. 

(f) Philippi (Acts 16: 11-40). 

We do not know whether Luke's home was in 
Philippi or not. There is some argument for 
Antioch. But he was apparently a Greek Chris- 
tian and he remained at Philippi till the close of 
the third mission tour. We can tell his presence 
by his use of "we" and "us." Philippi, named in 
honor of Philip, the father of Alexander the 
Great, was a Roman military outpost (colony). 
Few Jews were here, as it was not a commercial 
center, though Lydia had a good trade in purple 
cloth, for which Thyatira, her home city, was 
famous. It was a very unpropitious beginning 
that Paul had in Europe, a small place of prayer 
(sometimes used of synagogues) several miles 
out of the city by the river side (for convenience 
of the Jewish ablutions). But Paul touched the 
life of Philippi from this place through Lydia and 
her household. While at this work he cured the 
poor girl under the spell of an evil spirit, who 
was exploited for gain by a group of masters. 
It is curious how sensitive the pocket is to any 
infringement. The masters of the girl posed as 
champions of Roman regularity against Jewish 
customs in such a way as to deceive the magis- 
trates and the populace. It was an old trick 
that has often succeeded and was used repeatedly 
against Paul. Only the intervention of God that 
night saved Paul and Silas from death, even 



Campaign for the Gentiles. ^75 

though Paul was a Roman citizen as well as a 
Jew. The clamor had not allowed him to claim 
his rights in this matter. But the earthquake and 
the conversion of the jailer led the magistrates 
to wish to hush the matter up by the release of 
Paul and Silas. Then Paul asserted his rights 
and brought the magistrates to their knees in fear 
of their own necks for mistreating a Roman citi- 
zen. The dignified departure of Paul and Silas 
left Luke and Timothy behind in Philippi. 

(g) Thessalonica (Acts 17: 1-9). 

This flourishing city by the sea, the metropolis 
of Macedonia, still exists as Saloniki and had 
plenty of Tews. Paul took advantage of the 
synagogue to reach Jews and devout Greeks who 
attended worship there. This group of pious Gen- 
tiles were the connecting link between the Jews 
and the Gentiles everywhere. Paul had all too great 
success here at Thessalonica. In Philippi Roman 
business men, as they called themselves, raised 
the hue and cry against Paul. In Thessalonica. 
as in Antioch in Pisidia, the Jewish rabbis led the 
attack. At Antioch they got hold of the leading 
men and women of the city and possibly had Paul 
ordered by the magistrates out of town. Here 
at Thessalonica they had to employ a lot of 
"bums," lewd fellows of the baser sort, and thus 
raised a big stir in the city, and with that pretext 
seized Jason, Paul's host, and others, since they 
could not find Paul. They accused Paul of 
preaching sedition and setting up a rival king to 



176 Studies in the New Testament. 

Caesar. Jason had to give legal security. Hence, 
Paul left town, to keep Jason out of trouble. In 
i Thessalonians 1-3, Paul tells a good deal about 
his work in Thessalonica. He probably stayed 
more than three weeks. 

(h) Beroea (Acts 17: 10-14). 

The story is much the same in Beroea, save 
that the Jews had a singular open-mindedness 
and searched the Scriptures to see if Paul's in- 
terpretation was correct. But for the arrival of 
Jewish meddlers from Thessalonica a tremendous 
work would have been done. As it was, many 
believed. Timothy has now come from Philippi, 
and with Silas, remained in Beroea, while Paul 
hurried away from the Jewish rabbis, who gave 
him no rest. 

(i) Athens (Acts 17: 15-34). 

Some of the brethren went with Paul to Athens 
and bore back an earnest request from Paul for 
Timothy and Silas to come on with all speed. 
Timothy seems to have come on finally (1 Thes- 
salonians 3: 1-6), and to have been sent back to 
Thessalonica because of trouble among the dis- 
ciples there. But at first Paul's spirit was ex- 
ceedingly restless in Athens. This seat of cul- 
ture was given over to idolatry and the beauty 
of art at every turn smote Paul's heart as he saw 
the superstitions. But Paul was not idle in 
Athens. He spoke to the Jews in the synagogue 
on the Sabbath and mingled with the crowds in 



Campaign for the Gentiles. Y17 

the agora or market place during the week. The 
Epicureans and Stoics ridiculed his teaching and 
misunderstood him utterly, but some were polite 
and curious enough to wish to hear him further. 
So on Mars' Hill Paul expounded to a curious 
crowd the nature of the true God and the hope of 
eternal life in Jesus Christ. As soon as he touched 
on the doctrine of the resurrection, they grew 
tired and excused themselves, while some even 
mocked. So, though it was a great sermon, the 
results were not brilliant in Athens. 

(j) Corinth (Acts 18: 1-17). 

In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Paul tells us his frame 
of mind as he went on to Corinth. He would 
stick to the gospel in spite of the treatment at 
Athens. Corinth was a comparatively new city 
(rebuilt by Julius Caesar), the capital of Achaia, 
and was eager for all the show of knowledge and 
art. They affected philosophy and religion, but 
were rich and corrupt. The very term, to 
"Corinthianize," meant to be immoral. But, at any 
rate, the tone of supercilious intellectual pride was 
absent. They could be reached whether they 
liked Paul's simplicity of style or not. Paul was 
fortunate at Corinth in finding Aquila and Priscilla 
as co-workers and helpers. Whether they were 
already Christians we do not know. The trouble 
in Rome, which led to the expulsion of the Jews 
by Claudius, was over one "Chrestus" (perhaps 
Claristus). But it was the coming of Silas and 
Timothy from Thessalonica with good things 

12 



178 Studies in the New Testament. 

from there and from Philippi that enabled Paul 
to devote himself with concentration to preaching. 
The effect was instantaneous. Here, again, the 
jealousy of the Jewish leaders proved the powder 
of Paul's ministry. They refused the further use 
of the synagogue for such a Christian propa- 
ganda. Matters did not improve when Paul 
moved to the next door and actually captured 
Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue. Paul evi- 
dently contemplated leaving before matters be- 
came too serious, for Jesus had to warn him by 
vision to stay. The rage of the Jews found re- 
lief in bringing Paul before Gallio, brother of 
Seneca, the new proconsul, who refused to in- 
terfere, and thus gave Christianity legal standing 
in Roman law as a form of Judaism. It was 
probably the Jews who beat Sosthenes for not get- 
ting Paul punished. Paul remained in Corinth 
about two years, probably A.D. 51-52. 

(k) The Epistles to Thessalonica. 

The coming of Silas and Timothy to Corinth 
with news about the excitement in Thessalonica 
over the second coming of Christ induced Paul 
to write them a letter during this stay at Corinth 
(A.D. 51-52). Paul had been misunderstood and 
made to say that Jesus was going to return while 
they were alive. This he had not said, but simply 
that they must be ready, for Jesus might come 
at any time. Some had gone to the extreme of 
stopping all work because of their belief on the 
subject. So Paul wrote with great warmth and 



Campaign for the Gentiles. 179 

tenderness and explained what he did mean. 
Soon he wrote again a second letter, as some still 
misunderstood. Some think that this second let- 
ter was addressed to a Jewish church in Thes- 
salonica. 

(I) Ephesus (Acts 18: 18-21). 

Timothy and Silas apparently remained in 
Corinth or went back to Macedonia, for only 
Aquila and Priscilla went with Paul to Ephesus. 
These remained there while Paul went to Jeru-' 
salem with the hope of returning later, as he did. 

(m) Caesarea and Jerusalem (Acts 18: 22). 

It is not clear whether Paul went up to Jeru- 
salem or not, though that is the probable mean- 
ing of the language. If so, we know nothing of 
what took place. Perhaps the apostles were all 
away. 

(n) Antioch (Acts 18: 22). 

So Paul is once more back in Antioch. It is 
probably A.D. 53. Did he see Barnabas? At 
any rate, he had friends in plenty here who would 
gladly hear the wonderful story of this great tour. 

6. Where are the Judaizers? 

We shall see in the next chapter that they were 
busy following Paul's trail and unsettling his con- 
verts. They were especially active in Galatia and 
Achaia. So Paul had to fight Jew and Gentile 
in front and Judaizer behind. 



180 Studies in the New Testament. 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 



I. 


Opening the door for the Gentiles. 


2. 


The churches in Antioch and Jerusalem 


3- 


The call to be a missionary. 


4- 


John Mark. 


5. 


Cyprus. 


6. 


Sergius Paulus. 


7- 


Perga in Pamphylia. 


8. 


Antioch in Pisidia. 


9- 


Lystra and Derbe in Lycaonia. 


10. 


Paul's leadership. 


11. 


The Judaizers. 


12. 


The Jerusalem conference. 


13. 


Paul and the twelve. 


14. 


Peter's weakness at Antioch. 


15. 


Paul's dispute with Barnabas. 


16. 


Paul's companions on the second tour. 


17. 


Galatia. 


18. 


The call to Macedonia. 


19. 


Philippi. 


20. 


Thessalonica. 


21. 


Beroea. 


22. 


Athens. 


23. 


Corinth. 


24. 


Epistles to Thessalonica. 



CHAPTER XL 



PAUL'S GOSPEL. 



1. Building Up the Churches. 

During the third great tour (probably A.D. 
53-57 or 54-58) Paul in the main re-visited his 
former fields of work. The stay of three years 
in Ephesus was chiefly new work, though he had 
visited Ephesus before. The trip to Ulyricum 
was also new. Paul here appears as the mission- 
ary statesman with his hand upon the work at 
every point and planning to win the Roman em- 
pire to Christ. 

2. Teacher of the Churches. 

During these years Paul wrote the great doc- 
trinal Epistles (1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, 
Galatians, Romans). There is a possibility that 
Galatians was written earlier, but the probable 
order is as above. These Epistles constitute Paul's 
gospel in the truest sense (Romans 2: 16). The 
persistent efforts of the Judaizers to impose 
Judaism upon Paul's Gentile converts compelled 
him to interpret the gospel in terms of grace and 
freedom. His work at Ephesus was of great 
value, but these Epistles were far more so. There 

(181) 




(182) 



PauVs Gospel. 183 

are four groups of Paul's Epistles: (i) i and 2 
Thessalonians ; date A.D. 50-52; chief topic, the 
second coming of Christ. (2) 1 and 2 Corinth- 
ians, Galatians, Romans; date, 55-58; chief topic, 
justification by faith. (3) Philippians, Philemon, 
Colossians, Ephesians ; date 60-63 ; chief topic, 
the person of Christ. (4) The Pastoral Epistles 
(1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy) ; date, 65-68; chief 
topic, pastoral and ecclesiastical problems. 

3. Paul's Companions. 

He had no one who was continually with him. 
Aquila and Priscilla, Timothy, Titus, Erastus, 
Gaius, Aristarchus, Apollos, all appear at 
Ephesus. Timothy, Luke, Titus and Erastus were 
also in Macedonia. At Corinth a number of 
helpers are mentioned like Gaius, Erastus, Quar- 
tus, Tertius, Timothy, Lucius, Jason, Sopater, 
Phoebe of Cenchrese. On the way to Jerusalem 
we know of Sopater of Beroea, Aristarchus and 
Secundus of Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe and 
Timothy of Lystra, Luke of Philippi, Tychicus 
and Trophimus of Ephesus (Asia). Paul ap- 
parently left Antioch for Ephesus alone. 

4. In Galatia Again (Acts 18: 23). 

We do not know how long Paul remained at 
Antioch, but Luke's language implies 'some 
months. He had promised to go back to Ephe- 
sus (Acts 18: 21), and, after a good rest, set 
forth. His route lay through the upper country 



184 Studies in the New Testament. 

(Acts 19: 1), and he came through Galatia and 
Phrygia and not Phrygia and Galatia (16: 6), 
as before. This statement apparently means that 
Paul went through the real or Celtic (north) 
Galatia instead of the south or Lycaonian part of 
the province. But it is a technical question in 
much dispute. We can either think of Paul as 
going through the old route (Derbe, Lystra, etc.), 
or suppose that he touched towns further north, 
like Ancyra and Pessinus, in north Galatia where 
he may have gone in the second tour. He con- 
firmed the churches in either case. 

5. Apollos (Acts 18: 24-28). 

Before Paul reached Ephesus there came there 
from Alexandria a brilliant young minister of 
scholastic training, who knew only the teaching 
of John the Baptist. Apollos seems to have 
known accurately the story of Jesus as far as 
John knew it, but missed the part about his death, 
resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit 
at Pentecost. He had the great fortune at Ephe- 
sus to fall into the hands of Priscilla and Aquila, 
who instructed him in what he did not know and 
gave him letters of introduction to the saints in 
Corinth, whither he went and wrought with great 
power, 'so much so that some thought him su' 
perior to Paul. Apollos had only the baptism of 
John, but he was not re-baptized. 



PauVs Gospel. 185 

6. Three Years in Ephesus (Acts 19: 1—20: 1, 18-35). 

(a) Misinformed Disciples of John the Baptist (Acts 
19: 1-7). 

There is no indication that this group of twelve 
men had any connection with Apollos at all. 
Apollos did know a good deal about Jesus, but 
these men were ignorant of Jesus, the Holy Spirit 
and repentance. Paul instructed them de novo, 
for they had not received correctly the teaching 
of the Baptist on his great themes (repentance, 
Jesus as Messiah, baptism of the Holy Spirit). 
Paul then had them baptized, for their former 
baptism signified nothing, and they received the 
gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Ob) In the Synagogue (Acts 19: 8). 

Here Paul preached boldly for three months 
about the kingdom of God, when his success 
stirred opposition from the Jews, as so often 
before. 

(c) In the School of Tyrannus (Acts 19: 9f). 

Paul separated the disciples, as at Corinth, and 
made the school of Tyrannus the place of meet- 
ing. Here for two years more he labored with 
great results all over the province of Asia. He 
made his own living while there (Acts 20: 34), 
as at Corinth and elsewhere, and yet he reasoned 
daily about Jesus. The work spread all over the 
province of Asia. Ephesus was the capital of 
this great province and was one of the great cities 
of the world. The pride of the city was the 



186 Studies in the New Testament. 

temple of Diana, which was one of the seven 
wonders of the world. This city was the chief 
city of the circle of -seven to which John writes 
the Revelation. Paul's long stay in Ephesus gave 
an opportunity for his work to strike in deep and 
go far and wide. 

(d) Pagan Superstition (Acts 19: 11-20). 

The worship of Diana, of Cybele the Phrygian 
mother god, the mystery cults, the soothsayers, the 
sorcerers and exorcists, all flourished in Ephesus. 
God honored the crude faith of some who took 
handkerchiefs from Paul and were healed of dis- 
eases (cf. Peter's shadow and the hem of Christ's 
garments). The east was full of men of magic 
(cf. Simon Magus and Elymas Bar-Jesus), who 
victimized the people with their frauds. Luke 
records the sad fate that befell seven sons of 
Sceva who tried to imitate the language of Paul 
and found the process a boomerang. Possibly 
"both" here, as once in the papyri, means all of 
them, not merely two (cf. old English). The 
burning of the magical books in Ephesus as a 
result of this episode shows the depth of Paul's 
work there and the powerful grip of superstition 
on the life of the people. The 'study and use of 
these charms flourished not only at Ephesus, but 
all over the Roman world. 

(e) Demetrius (Acts 19: 23-41). 

The rage of Demetrius against Paul proves still 
further the effective ministry of Paul in Ephesus. 



PauVs Gospel. 187 

The trade of Demetrius fell off to such an extent 
that he gathered together the craftsmen (labor 
guild) just like a meeting of liquor dealers in a 
prohibition campaign. Demetrius revealed a com- 
bination of greed for gold and zeal for religion. 
He used the popular piety as an asset in his 
business and raised a riot in the name of Diana 
to protect his business interests. He did it with 
tremendous success. Paul may have been ill, but 
even so, he was with great difficulty kept from 
going to the rescue of Gaius and Aristarchus in 
the amphitheater. The influence of the Asiarchs, 
men of high standing as presidents of the games, 
kept Paul away. It was a typical mob, as Alex- 
ander the Jew discovered. But for the town 
clerk's appearance blood might have been shed. 
But the disturbance made it imperative that Paul 
leave Ephesus before something worse happened. 
He had already fought with wild beasts here 
(i Corinthians 15 : 32), whatever that means. He 
may refer to the Judaizers by this term. He had 
looked death in the face, was saved by the help of 
God (2 Cor. 1: 9f). It is possible that Paul 
may have been in prison in Ephesus toward the 
end. Marcion is credited with saying that Paul 
wrote to the Laodiceans while in prison in Ephe- 
sus. One wishes that one knew more of the de- 
tails of these closing months. 

7. First Corinthians. 

When Paul wrote the Epistles he expected to 
remain in Ephesus till Pentecost (1 Corinthians 



188 Studies in the New Testament, 

16: 8). Hence, he probably wrote about pass- 
over time. It was likely in the spring of A.D. 56 
or 57. The Demetrius episode came after Paul 
wrote this Epistle and caused him to leave sooner 
than he had expected. A committee had come 
from Corinth consisting of Stephanas, Fortunatus 
and Achaicus (1 Corinthians 16: 17), who 
brought a letter from the church there concern- 
ing various problems ( 1 Corinthians 7 : 1 ; 8 : 1 ; 
12: 1; 16: 1). They probably had a good deal 
to add. The household of Chloe had also told 
Paul of the division in the church ( 1 Corinthians 
1 : 11). Paul had already written the church a 
letter concerning a case of gross immorality (1 
Corinthians 5:9). He had also sent Timothy to 
set things in order (1 Corinthians 4: 17) before 
he goes himself (1 Corinthians 16: 7). He may, 
indeed, have made a short visit himself, but it is 
not likely. Apollos had, however, come back to 
Ephesus and was not willing to return now (1 
Corinthians 16: 12). Paul thus was fully ac- 
quainted with the situation in Corinth and was 
deeply concerned about it. The church was torn 
into factions over Paul, Apollos, Cephas (Peter), 
and even Christ (1 Corinthians 1 : 12). Paul had 
founded the church, but Apollos had watered it, 
and each had his following. Apparently Peter 
had not been there at all, but at any rate the Ju- 
daizers came and claimed him on their side (since 
the disagreement at Antioch). Others, in disgust 
over it all, set up a Christ party. So it went. The 
case of incest was mixed up also with the party 



PauVs Gospel. 189 

feeling. Paul ordered the man's expulsion. Per- 
verted views of marriage existed. Many had 
scruples about eating meat that had been placed 
before an idol. The head-dress of the women in 
worship was a problem. The Lord's supper was 
the occasion of gluttony. The very gifts of the 
Spirit had led to wranglings. The resurrection 
of Jesus and of the saints was denied. The col- 
lection for the poor at Jerusalem was not taken. 
If ever a church was in a tangle, it was the church 
at Corinth. The secret of it all was the Judaizing 
propaganda there which kept things in a stew. 
Paul wrote with great wisdom, power, spirit and 
love. 

8. In Macedonia Again (Acts 20: 1; 2 Corinthians 2: 
12f; 7: 5-7, 13f). 

Before leaving Ephesus, Paul had sent Titus 
to Corinth to do what apparently Timothy had 
been unable to accomplish. Paul had been a bit 
uneasy about Timothy's power in this delicate 
mission (i Corinthians 16: iof). So, when Tim- 
othy returned, he sent him and Erastus on to 
Macedonia (Acts 19: 22). The plan was for 
Titus to come back through Macedonia and meet 
Paul at Troas as he went from Ephesus to 
Philippi. But the riot in Ephesus made Paul 
leave Ephesus ahead of schedule time. So he was 
at Troas before it was time for Titus to arrive 
and was very restless, probably weak and nervous 
from a long illness. He was at the nadir of de- 
spondency over the turn of affairs in Ephesus and 



190 Studies in the Neto Testament. 

Corinth. He was unable to enter the open door 
of opportunity at Troas and so pushed on to 
Macedonia. In Philippi he could be with Luke, 
Timothy, Erastus and Lydia, and could wait for 
Titus. 

9. Second Corinthians. 

Fortunately Titus came to Macedonia (2 
Corinthians 7: 5-7), and brought good news. 
Paul had probably sent another letter by Titus 
much sharper in tone (cf. 2 Corinthians 2: 3f; 
7 : 8f ) than 1 Corinthians, since that and the visit 
of Timothy had failed to set things straight. This 
•sharp letter had cost Paul tears and anguish of 
heart and made him regret writing it till Titus told 
how much good it had done. The majority have 
now taken Paul's side and he is ready to forgive 
the offender who has given so much trouble (2 
Cor. 2: 5-11). Who this man was we do not 
know, but he has shown repentance. Some schol- 
ars think that this lost epistle is really found (or 
part of it) in chapters 10-13, which have by mis- 
take been attached to the later epistle. This 
theory would explain the tone of the two parts of 
2 Corinthians, but the old view does that also, 
which makes chapters 1-9 apply particularly to 
the obedient majority and chapters 10-13 to the 
disobedient minority. Thus the four factions of 
Corinthians have now become two (a Pauline 
party and an anti-Pauline party). The Judaizers 
have to be fought to a finish. Paul explains at 
length why he has remained away so long to spare 



Paul's Gospel. 191 

them from his anger (2 Corinthians 1 : 23 ; 2 : if; 
13: if). They had accused him of fickleness (2 
Corinthians 1 : i6ff) and of all sorts of short- 
comings which he answered in detail (1 : 10-12). 
His own spirit was overjoyed at the outcome (2 
Corinthians 2 : I2ff ) and he gloried in the min- 
istry (2 Corinthians 2 : 14 — 6 : 10) in a wonder- 
ful panegyric on preaching. He gave elaborate 
directions for the completion of the collection 
(8, 9), and asserted his apostolic authority over 
the recalcitrant minority (13). The Epistle vi- 
brates with passion and power. 

10. Illyricum (Romans 15: 19). 

While Titus and the other two messengers took 
this powerful Epistle to Corinth, Paul seems to 
have pushed on over the great Egnation Way 
westward to Illyricum in order not to build on 
another man's foundation and to give time for the 
letter to do its work. It seemed to have done it 
very effectually, for no more trouble appeared at 
Corinth. 

11. In Corinth Once More (Acts 20: 2f). 

It is not clear whether Paul had actually come 
twice before or had just been ready to come (2 
Corinthians 2 : 1 ; 13 : 1). At any rate, he came 
this time and remained three months with no dis- 
turbance from the Judaizers who seem to have 
vanished from the city. Paul has troubles while 
in Corinth, but they are forebodings about Jeru- 
salem (Romans 15: 26-32). He feels while at 



192 Studies in the New Testament. 

Corinth that his work is done here, perhaps no 
longer needed, and he wishes to go by Jerusalem 
on his way to Rome and Spain (Romans 15 : 22- 
25). He wishes to take the great collection for 
the saints there which he has been gathering for 
several years from Galatia, Asia, Macedonia, 
Achaia. 

12. Galatians. 

We follow Lightfoot in locating the writing of 
Galatians during this stay in Corinth the winter 
of A.D. 57 or 58, or the preceding autumn. As 
a matter of fact, we do not know where Paul was 
when writing the blazing words in this great little 
Epistle. The tone of the letter suits well between 2 
Corinthians and Romans. Some scholars even 
make it the very earliest of Paul's Epistles. 
The matter is wholly unsettled, but we keep it here 
till we know better. We do not know whether Paul 
by "Galatia" means the province as a whole, North 
Galatia, or South Galatia. Either is possible. 
The letter is not conclusive as to date or place, 
but is clear enough as to the occasion. Judaizers 
had come and had insisted that these Gentile 
Christians must become Jews in order to be saved. 
They had made some headway to Paul's utter 
astonishment (Galatians 1: 6f). The Judaizers 
had represented that Paul was not one of the 
twelve and was therefore without authority, im- 
plying that the twelve agreed with them against 
Paul. This Paul shows to be untrue. He was 
not one of the twelve, but was of equal authority, 



PauVs Gospel. 193 

and the twelve agreed with Paul in the matter of 
Gentile freedom (i, 2). Thus Paul show T s how 
the very essence of the gospel is justification by 
faith, not by works of the law (3, 4). He urged 
them to loyalty to Christ, to holiness of life, and 
to stand fast in the liberty in Christ (5, 6). It 
way a bugle blast of freedom. 

13. Romans. 

We know quite clearly that Paul was still in 
Corinth when he wrote this the greatest of his 
Epistles, since Phoebe of Cenchrese, the port of 
Corinth, bore it (Romans 16: if). He is about 
to start for Jerusalem (Romans 15: 25), and 
hopes to come on to Rome (Romans 15: 23), as 
he had often planned to do, but had been hin- 
dered (Romans 1: 10-13; 15: 22). He claims 
them in his jurisdiction as apostle to the Gentiles 
(Romans 15 : I5f), and gives them this extended 
presentation of his gospel (Romans 2: 16), be- 
cause he has not been able to speak to them in 
person. He owes a debt to Greek and barbarian, 
the wise and the unwise, and is ready to speak 
to those in Rome when he can do so. Paul lays 
down his thesis that the gospel is the power of 
God to those that believe. One is justified by 
faith in Christ who died for the sin of the world. 
Both Jew and Gentile are lost without Christ and 
need the redemption in Christ. But the blood of 
Christ not only saves us, but it also binds us to 
holy living. Justification involves sanctification. 
The Jews have in large measure missed their op- 

13 



194 Studies in the New Testament, 

portunity, which has passed over to the Gentiles, 
but God's spiritual Israel are safe in Christ. The 
latter part of the Epistle is devoted to practical 
aspects of the Christian life. 

14. Back to Jerusalem (Acts 20: 3—21: 16). 

It is now the spring of A.D. 57 or 58. Paul 
has won his fight with the Judaizers in Achaia 
and apparently in Galatia. The work is well es- 
tablished in Macedonia and Asia. James, Peter 
and John were carrying on the mission work 
among the Jews. The west appealed to Paul with 
growing fascination. He wished to go to Spain 
and take Rome in on the way. In a word, Paul's 
ambition was to win the Roman empire to Christ. 
It is now some fifteen years since Paul went to 
Antioch at the request of Barnabas. He has 
made three great mission tours, strengthened the 
churches, and written great Epistles, but he 
yearns for other fields where the gospel has not 
yet been preached (Romans 15: 20). During 
these years Paul carried on also the greatest con- 
troversy of his career in saving real Christianity 
from the ritualistic legalism of the Judaizers. It 
had been a long and hard fight, but he has at 
last won. The headquarters of the Judaizers was 
Jerusalem, though James and the twelve apostles 
were on Paul's side. Still, the Judaizers had a 
powerful hold on the mass of the church there, 
and, while he was away making converts from the 
Gentiles, they were busy with all sorts of stories 
about him. Paul had once before, some seven or 



Paul's Gospel. 195 

eight years ago (Acts 15), gone to Jerusalem 
about this matter. It seemed wise now to go 
again and have James reaffirm the agreement 
concerning Gentile liberty then reached. There 
was serious danger of a cleavage in Christianity 
if the matter was not cleared up once for all. The 
Judaizers had been able to confuse the minds of 
many Jewish Christians who were not opposed to 
Gentile liberty. For several years Paul had been 
busy with the collections from the Gentile Chris- 
tions of Achaia, Macedonia, Asia, Galatia, for the 
poor saints in Jerusalem. Once before he and 
Barnabas had taken a similar contribution to 
Jerusalem from the Greek church at Antioch, and 
it had done good (Acts 11: 27-30). Besides, it 
was part of the Jerusalem agreement that this 
should be done (Galatians 2: 10). Paul has 
taken a great deal of pains that the collection 
should be well managed by agents of the churches 
(2 Corinthians 8: 16-24), some of whom went 
with him on the way towards Jerusalem. He had 
expected to sail direct to Syria, but a plot of Jews 
against him at Corinth led him to change his 
plans so that he went by Macedonia and picked 
up Luke at Philippi, who was with Paul now till 
he reached Rome. Passover week was spent in 
Philippi and then Paul and his party made their 
way to Jerusalem by 'slow stages, hoping to reach 
that city by pentecost. At Troas Paul observed 
the Lord's supper with the church and preached 
all night before his departure next day. At 
Miletus the ship stopped long enough for him to 



196 Studies in the New Testament. 

send to Ephesus for the elders (bishops) of the 
church to come, to whom he delivered a tender 
farewell address, full of foreboding about wolves 
that threatened the flock there (cf. the Gnostic 
heresy). Paul surveyed the work of his three 
years in Ephesus, and commended them to God 
in case he never saw them again. Paul was con- 
scious that peril was ahead of him (bonds and 
afflictions) if he went on to Jerusalem, but he 
felt bound in the spirit to go. Duty called him 
and he must go on, come what may. At Patara 
a change of ships was made. At Tyre a band 
of disciples was found who warned Paul not to 
go to Jerusalem for trouble was ahead of him, 
but he went on. At Csesarea the prophet Agabus, 
in dramatic fashion, warned him of what was in 
store for him in Jerusalem, but Paul was not 
afraid, and went on over the protest of Luke and 
the rest who surrendered to the will of the Lord. 
So at last Paul drew near to Jerusalem once more. 
He had found a friend who was to be his host in 
Jerusalem, one of the early disciples, Mnason 
of Cyprus. What will Jerusalem do for Paul 
now? The city has been a tragic experience for 
him in the past. 



PauVs Gospel. 197 

TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

i. Paul's fellow-workers. 

2. Apollos. 

3. Disciples of John the Baptist. 

4. Ephesus. 

5. Pagan superstition. 

6. The worship of Diana. 

7. Christianity and evil business. 

8. Problems at Corinth. 

9. First Corinthians. 

10. Second Corinthians. 

11. Galatians. 

12. Romans. 

13. Paul's theology. 

14. The great collection for the poor at Jeru- 
salem. 

15. Paul's plans for the future. 

16. Paul's purpose in going to Jerusalem. 



CHAPTER XII. 



PAUL'S LONG IMPRISONMENT. 



Paul was ready for any fate, but he little knew 
what the years were to bring him because of this 
trip to Jerusalem. One of the blessings of life is 
just this ignorance of the future. As it turned 
out, Paul's active ministry is practically at an end 
when he reaches Jerusalem by pentecost A.D. 57 
or 58. It will be at least five years before he is 
released from the charges against him. Some 
even think that he was never set free till his 
death. 

1. Reception at Jerusalem (Acts 21: 17-20a). 

The welcome by the leading brethren was 
hearty enough. It had been some eight years 
since the great conference when Paul had won 
such a triumph. Now he has come back rich with 
the fruit of that policy. On the next day Paul 
with his party (Luke and Trophimus were still 
with him, if not Aristarchus) made a formal call 
upon James as the head of the church in Jeru- 
salem. All the elders were present. It was prob- 
ably on this occasion that the collection was 
turned over to James, though no mention is made 
of it till later (24: 17). Paul had a long story to 

(198) 



Paul's Long Imprisonment. ^99 

tell of his work. He took his time and went over 
the chief items "one by one." The story made 
a great impression and they glorified God. 

2. A Proposal for Relieving Misapprehension (Acts 
21: 20b-26). 

It may have been James or some other brother 
who made the suggestion. Luke says "they" and 
it was probably the result of previous conference 
on the part of Paul's friends in Jerusalem who 
wished to put an end to the power of the Judaizers 
over the Jerusalem church concerning Paul. 
During Paul's absence the Judaizers had dili- 
gently circulated the report that Paul taught that 
Jewish Christians must forsake the customs of 
their fathers and live like the Gentiles. This, of 
course, was an utter perversion of the facts. Paul 
had won the fight for Gentile freedom from the 
Jewish ceremonial law, but had not urged Jewish 
Christians to give up their Jewish customs. He 
had himself kept up the Jewish ceremonial ob- 
servances and was here now at the feast of pente- 
cost. Paul had not said that a Jew must keep up 
the Jewish observances. He had plead for liberty, 
for instance, on the subject of the Sabbath or 
the Lord's day (Sunday) as the day of worship 
for Christians (Romans 14: 5f). The suggestion 
of the brethren, in brief, is that Paul pay the 
charges for the sacrifices of four men who have 
a vow, purifying himself and them in the temple, 
so that Paul may be seen at worship in the tem- 
ple. With Paul Jesus is the one great sacrifice 



200 Studies in the New Testament. 

for sin. All else was typical, but he had no ob- 
jection to the proposal as it would undoubtedly 
refute the false report about him. So he did it 
and was seen in the temple doing this act of wor- 
ship. The Jewish Christians were probably 
wholly satisfied and the plan was successful in 
its object. 

3. The Assault from the Jews of Asia (Acts 21: 27 — 
22: 29). 

But Paul had other enemies besides the Ju- 
daizers. It so happened that some Jews from 
Ephesus, who knew and hated Paul, were here at 
the feast of pentecost. These men happened to 
see Paul one day in the temple towards the close 
of the seven days which Paul had taken with the 
four men for the purification. They may or may 
not have known what Paul was doing, but at any 
rate, while in the very act of doing honor to the 
temple and the Jewish observances, Paul was set 
upon by these Jews of Ephesus as a profaner of 
the temple and an enemy of the law of Moses 
and the Jewish people. They made a specific 
accusation that Paul had brought Greeks into the 
Jewish part of the temple. They had seen Paul 
walking with Trophimus, a Greek Christian of 
Ephesus, one day in Jerusalem. Hence, they in- 
ferred that Paul had brought Trophimus and 
other Greeks into the temple beyond the court of 
the Gentiles. This false charge was all that was 
needed to give the pent-up hatred of the Jews of 
Jerusalem a chance to vent itself against Paul, 



PauVs Long Imprisonment. 201 

whom they regarded as a turncoat and a traitor 
to the faith of his fathers. It will take five years 
to clear away the misconceptions of this moment 
of hate and spite. The story is told by Luke with 
graphic power. The city is soon in an uproar 
and Paul is dragged out of the temple and the 
doors shut. The fate of Stephen would soon have 
been Paul's if the chief captain had not rushed 
out of the tower of Antonia with soldiers to the 
rescue. The scene reminds one of the mob be- 
fore Pilate's hall which cried out for the cruci- 
fixion of Jesus. The chief captain was greatly 
puzzled about what to make of Paul. He had him 
bound with two chains, thought him the Egyptian 
assassin, was astonished that Paul could speak 
Greek, and allowed him to stand on the steps and 
speak in Aramaic to the mob that clamored for 
his blood. The chief captain was all the more 
amazed when all of a sudden the crowd at the 
word "Gentiles" flew into a frenzy of rage and 
was about to scourge Paul when he claimed Ro- 
man citizenship as a defense. Paul, by the help of 
the chief captain, had barely escaped so far with 
his life. 

4. Paul Before the Sanhedrin (Acts 22: 30—23: 10). 

Paul had been before the Sanhedrin often over 
twenty years ago with the Christians as culprits 
and may, indeed, have once been a member, but 
now he is on trial himself before this august body 
of his countrymen. He was here at the command 
of the chief captain who hoped that the Sanhe- 



202 Studies in the New Testament. 

drin could disclose precisely what sort of a crim- 
inal Paul was, for he himself did not know. So 
then Paul was brought before the Sanhedrin 
without any specific charge (cf. the trial of Je- 
sus). Paul was not a stranger to most of these 
men. Luke represents Paul as "looking stead- 
fastly on the council/' perhaps to see if he could 
find a friendly face in the number. At any rate, 
he ventured a general remark by way of defense 
for his whole career up till now, including his 
change from Judaism to Christianity. The in- 
tensity of the feeling in the Sanhedrin towards 
Paul now finds expression after these years of 
hate. The high priest Ananias promptly ordered 
a by-stander to smite Paul on the mouth. In- 
stantly Paul's apologetic tone changed to sharp 
indignation and he gave vent to his wrath against 
Ananias. The apology of Paul for speaking thus 
against the high priest naturally means that for 
the moment he was so angry that he did not con- 
sider against whom he was speaking. But clearly 
now Paul has no chance at all before this preju- 
diced body. They are as hostile as the mob the 
day before. His tactics in dividing the council by 
claiming to be a Pharisee have been criticized on 
the ground that Paul was not now a Pharisee. He 
was not a Pharisee only or wholly, but as between 
Pharisee and Sadducee he was a Pharisee. "As 
touching the law, a Pharisee" (Philippians 3:5) 
he was once a persecutor like these men, but that 
he is no longer. But this council is bent on Paul's 
death and he set them by the ears against each 



Paul's Long Imprisonment. 203 

other so as to save his own life. His ruse of war 
was so successful that they might easily have 
trampled him to death in order to get at each 
other. Once more the chief captain had to rescue 
Paul by his soldiers from the rage of the Jews, 
this time from the Sanhedrin itself. The chief 
captain was more puzzled than ever. 

5. The Lord's Message to Paul (Acts 23: 11). 

If ever Paul needed a cheering word from the 
Lord Jesus, it was now when there seemed no 
open way before him. Once before in Jeru- 
salem in a trance in the temple he had a vision 
of Jesus who bade him leave for Tarsus since 
the Jews were bent upon his death. That was 
some twenty years ago and Paul has had many 
tokens of Christ's favor during these years. In 
a crisis at Corinth the Lord Jesus had appeared 
to him also. Now on the night after this experi- 
ence before the Sanhedrin Jesus told him to be 
of good cheer since he must bear witness also at 
Rome. So then he would get away from Jeru- 
salem and go to Rome after all, though when and 
how was not made clear. 

6. Rescue from the Conspirators (Acts 23: 12-33). 

Paul's cunning with the Sanhedrin made some 
of the Jews desperate and determined to get him 
killed in one way or another. It seems as if some 
members of the council were parties to the con- 
spiracy and it might have succeeded but for the 
keen wit of Paul's sister's son, who, with a bov's 



204 Studies in the New Testament, 

knowingness got wind of it and told Paul. By 
the skill of the youth, of Paul, of the centurion, 
and of the chief captain the conspirators were out- 
witted, but it required two hundred soldiers and 
seventy horsemen under cover of night to do it. 
So rabid was the hate towards Paul. One won- 
ders if the forty conspirators kept their vow not 
to eat. The letter of Claudius Lysias, the chief 
captain, to Felix, the procurator at Caesarea, put 
the best possible face on affairs for the chief cap- 
tain, and even claimed that he had rescued Paul 
from the mob because he heard that he was a 
Roman! He did not explain what the charges 
against Paul were save "questions of their law," 
and the Jewish accusers would come. So Paul 
was presented before Felix. 

7. Paul Before Felix (Acts 23: 34—24: 27). 

Paul had been before Roman magistrates be- 
fore at Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, but Felix 
was not Gallio ("sweet Gallio," he was called). 
Felix was more like Pilate with trickiness, inde- 
cision, corruption, love of money, and fear of the 
Jews. He started off, however, well enough. 
Paul's accusers turned out to be, not the Jews 
from Asia, who began the trouble, but the high 
priest Ananias with certain elders (a committee 
from the Sanhedrin), with a hired Roman lawyer, 
Tertullus. So now Paul has to face a real trial, 
with the machinery of the law at work against 
him. Tertullus' first charge was vague, but he 
made two specific charges, one that Paul was a 



Paul's Long Imprisonment. 205 

member of the sect of the Nazarenes, the other 
that he had profaned the Jewish temple. Paul 
had to conduct his own case, and he did it with 
consummate ability. He denied the charge about 
the temple and disproved it easily and challenged 
the committee from the Sanhedrin to tell the 
crime of which they found him guilty (not 
raillery). But Paul confessed to being a Chris- 
tian and claimed that this was the true Judaism, 
the hope of the fathers (cf. Romans 9-11). The 
relation of Christianity to Roman law had been 
settled by Gallio for the time being as a form of 
Judaism, and so legal. Felix may have known 
of this decision. At any rate, he postponed his 
decision, not because he was not clear, but be- 
cause he did not wish to offend the Jewish leaders. 
Paul had won his case if he could only get a deci- 
sion. The sermon of Paul before Felix and Dru- 
silla, under the circumstances, was extremely 
brave and daring, for Felix still had Paul's case 
under consideration. But Felix was for the 
moment terrified by the power of Paul's discourse, 
and then relapsed into his love of greed since Paul 
spoke of taking money to Jerusalem. So two 
years went by with Paul a prisoner in Csesarea, 
two years of great opportunity. Luke was with 
Paul and probably used this period for the writ- 
ing of his Gospel while he was near the sources 
of information. When Felix was finally recalled, 
he left Paul a prisoner for fear that the Jews 
might also make charges to Rome against him- 
self. 



206 Studies in the New Testament. 

8. Paul Before Festus (Acts 25-26). 

Unfortunately we do not know precisely the 
year when this change of procurators took place. 
The estimates run all the way from A.D. 56-60. 
Probably 59 is not far from the truth. But, what- 
ever date we assign to it, we must regulate the 
other dates in proportion to it. Festus came with 
a better reputation than Felix and made a show 
of fairness to Paul in refusing to take him to 
Jerusalem to be convicted by the Sanhedrin. But, 
when the Jews made their charges before him in 
Csesarea, he quickly showed the same weakness 
and desire to please them that Felix had done, 
and even asked Paul if he was willing to go back 
to Jerusalem to be judged before Festus at the 
home of the very men who had made the charges 
against him ! This change of venire would have 
been extremely prejudicial to Paul's case. If 
Festus had no courage in Csesarea, what would 
he have in Jerusalem? There was only one 
course left for Paul after these years of delay, 
and with this proof of the character of Festus, 
the new procurator. That hope lay in the exer- 
cise of Paul's rights as a Roman citizen in ap- 
pealing to Caesar. Festus had to allow this ap- 
peal when asked for. The boldness of Paul placed 
Festus at a disadvantage, for he did not even have 
a specific charge to present to Caesar, and to send 
up a prisoner with no charge was a real reflection 
upon Festus as a provincial governor. So he took 
advantage of the presence of Herod Agrippa II 
and his sister Bernice to amuse them and also to 



Paul's Long Imprisonment. 207 

use their knowledge of Jewish customs to see 
what charge he could send to Caesar. Festus even 
implied that, if Paul had not appealed to Caesar, 
he would himself have set him free, since he 
found no fault in him (the conduct of Pilate over 
again). Paul seemed to be perfectly aware of 
his environment when he addressed the pompous 
assembly over which Agrippa presided. He knew 
that no change could come to the 'status of his own 
case. He spoke out of hcpe of getting the good- 
will of Agrippa, who had influence at Rome, but 
in particular with the hope of winning Agrippa 
to Christ. This address covers the same ground 
as that made to the mob from the 'stairs of the 
castle. There he was making a justification of 
his course in becoming a Christian and apostle 
to the Gentiles, but here Paul used his own story 
as a skillful way of showing Agrippa how the 
crucified and risen Jesus was the Messiah of the 
Jews prophesied in the Old Testament. Festus 
did not see the drift of Paul's powerful appeal, 
but Agrippa did, and refused to be caught in a 
short turn like that. A-grippa was too much of a 
politician and too big a sinner (living in sin with 
Bernice) to turn Christian. So he waved Paul's 
speech aside with a compliment and the expres- 
sion of his innocence. Festus had learned noth- 
ing. We do not know what charges were sent. 

9. The Voyage and Shipwreck (Acts 27). 

Paul was doubtless glad to leave Caesarea, for 
he had had enough of Roman provincial "justice/' 




(208) 



Paul's Long Imprisonment. 209 

Luke and Aristarchus went with him as friends, 
or possibly as nominal servants of Paul. The ship 
was not going to Rome, but one could be found 
on the coast of Asia Minor to which the prisoners 
could be transferred. This ship was bound for 
Adramyttium, near Troas. It was a freight 
ship and carried a band of soldiers back to Italy 
(the Augustan cohort), besides many prisoners. 
Paul was just one among many other prisoners. 
The centurion of the Augustan band, Julius, was 
a kindly man, as was often the case with Roman 
officers, and was gracious to Paul. The wind 
soon gave trouble and the vessel slipped to the 
lee (right) of Cyprus, and hugged the coast of 
Pamphylia till Myra, in Lycia, was reached. 
Here the centurion found a grain ship of Alex- 
andria bound for Rome that had probably come 
this far out of its course because of the 'strong 
northwest wind which made a zig-zag course 
(tacking) necessary. A glance at the map will 
show that the ship at Cnidus confronted the wind 
and must either go north or south. The island 
of Crete offered a refuge till the wind changed 
and was more in line for Rome. With great diffi- 
culty Fair Havens was reached, but evidently the 
wind blew a long time ("much time") till it was 
now too late in the season to risk the voyage to 
Rome. It was now past the fast (day of atone- 
ment, about October i), and seamen, without 
chart or compass as they were, feared to set sail 
over the Mediterranean. The time of storms had 
come. The master and owner of the ship planned 

14 



210 Studies in the New Testament, 

only to go to Phoenix, farther along in Crete, 
where was a better harbor with shelter from the 
winter storms. But Paul ventured to protest 
against even this experiment, but the centurion 
brushed his advice aside. A sudden change of 
wind from the south gave the chance and they 
laughed at Paul's prophecy of disaster. But he 
laughs best who laughs last. The wind changed 
again, whipping round to east by northeast with 
a sudden snap. It "beat down from" Crete upon 
the ship and instantly it was a question of life 
and death. Luke gives in detail and with pre- 
cision the steps taken by which the lives of all 
were saved in the most remarkable record of a 
shipwreck in existence and the most imposing ac- 
count of ancient 'ships. Left alone, the ship 
would have been driven on the Syrtis or quick- 
sands, off the coast of North Africa. That would 
be certain death. The plan pursued was to sail 
as close to the wind as possible (within seven 
points), undergird the ship, lower the sail, haul 
on board the little boat (life-boat), and then 
drift before the wind. This was done quickly 
under the lee of a little island named Cauda. 
Soon the ship had to be lightened of part of its 
tacking. The days and nights were black alike 
and despair came to all but Paul, who spoke again. 
This time he told of an angel of God who had 
promised to him the lives of all, though the ship 
would be lost. On the fourteenth day the sound 
of breakers revealed the nearness of land. Paul 
again came to the rescue against the trickery of 



PauVs Long Imprisonment. 211 

the sailors and really acted as the master of cere- 
monies as the ship hung by, anchored and await- 
ing its doom. At the last the prisoners all owed 
their lives to Paul. The story is wonderful from 
every standpoint. 

10. Melita (Acts 28: 1-10). 

The land proved to be the island of Melita 
(Malta) in the lower part of the Sea of Adria, 
which was given a wider range of application 
than is now true. It was a narrow escape for all, 
and Paul claimed pointedly that God had spared 
them because of his prayers. So Paul was to 
spend the winter in this island with the bar- 
barians, who were ready to listen to him because 
he had not fallen down dead when the viper bit 
him. There are now no snakes in the island. 
Luke evidently practiced his skill as physician 
upon the people besides the miracles wrought by 
Paul. The result was a work of grace that 
blessed the island. 

11. Going to Rome at Last (Acts 28: 11-15). 

Many ships had evidently been caught by the 
same storm, one of which had wintered at Melita. 
It also was a grain ship bound for Rome from 
Alexandria. Egypt was the granary of Rome. 
As soon as spring weather (probably A.D. 6o) 
allowed it, this ship, the Castor and Pollux 
(Twins), was ready to sail, and Julius placed 
his prisoners on board. They were landed at 
Puteoli after passing Syracuse in Sicily and 



212 Studies in the New Testament. 

Rhegiumi. Paul seems to have been able to 
send word to Rome of the ship's arrival, for 
before reaching the city he was met at Appii 
Forum and Three Taverns by brethren who came 
to greet him. The wonderful Appian Way that 
led to Rome is still in use and it is still possible 
to 'walk upon some of the very stones upon which 
Paul trode as he went into Rome. So here at 
last Paul fulfilled one of the ambitions of his life. 
He had come to Rome. He came as a prisoner 
for Christ, but Paul knew that he had what would 
make him superior to Nero, the emperor. The 
ruins of imperial Rome still visible show some- 
thing of the splendor of this Babylon of the west. 
Paul was not insensible to his surroundings. 
What is before him in Rome he does not know. 

12. Two Years in Rome (Acts 28: 16-31). 

Paul was turned over to the chief of the camp 
(prefect, possibly Burrhus), and was allowed the 
privilege of his own hired house, but was always 
chained to a soldier. He sought to win the friend- 
ship of the Jews in Rome and to lead them to 
Christ. But a whole day of discourse brought 
meager results. Christianity was now coming to 
be taboo with the Jews. But no charges had 
yet come against Paul himself. We do not know 
whether they ever came or whether any accusers 
came. The Jews had access to Nero through 
Poppsea, but Nero was in no hurry to bother him- 
self with the case of a Jew from one of the 
provinces. So the years go by, with Paul free 



Paul's Long Imprisonment. 213 

to see his friends and to work for Christ in the 
camp. Luke probably wrote the Acts during 
these years. Friends come and go, but Paul's 
trial does not come off. 

13. Philippians. 

The natural meaning of Caesar's household 
(Philippians 4: 22) is that Paul is in Rome. The 
use of praetorian guard (Philippians 1 : 13) im- 
plies the same thing, though the expression does 
not have to mean place (camp). Some scholars 
argue for Ephesus as the place where Paul wrote 
this beautiful letter, but Rome is far more likely. 
It is not certain whether Philippians was written 
before or after Philemon, Colossians and Ephe- 
sians, probably before. In both Philemon and 
Philippians, Paul is expecting to be set free. 
Probably these Epistles come towards the close of 
his imprisonment in Rome. Luke seems to have 
been absent, though Timothy was present, when 
Paul wrote Philippians (2: igi). Epaphroditus 
had come from Philippi with gifts from the 
church for Paul (Philippians 4: 10-19), had 
gotten sick in Rome, much to the distress of the 
Philippians (Philippians 2: 26-30), and was now 
returning to Philippi (Philippians 2: 25), and 
would bear the letter. Though a prisoner still, 
Paul is full of joy and urges the Philippians to 
rejoice in Christ. Indeed, joy in Christ is the 
keynote of the Epistle. Two of the greatest pas- 
sages in Paul's intepretation of Christ occur in 
this short letter (Philippians 2: 5-11; 3: 8-14). 



214 Studies in the New Testament. 

Christ is Paul's passion, is his very life (Philip- 
pians i: 21), and he has learned the secret of 
happiness and peace (Philippians 4). 

14. Philemon. 

Philemon, Colossians and Ephesians were sent 
at the same time by Onesimus (Philemon 10, 13; 
Colossians 4 : 9) and Tychicus (Colossians 4 : ji) ; 
Ephesians 6 : 2if ) . Paul is a prisoner (Ephesians 
3:1), but is hopeful of release (Philemon 22). 
Some scholars argue for Ephesus as the place of 
writing, but the weight of evidence is still for 
Rome. Philemon is a personal note sent along 
with Onesimus, a converted slave, who is return- 
ing to his master, Philemon of Colossae, from 
whom he ran away. In sending him back Paul 
asked that he be treated as a brother in Christ, 
and his words of love have helped put an end to 
slavery. 

15. Colossians. 

Colossae was a flourishing city in the Lycus 
Valley in the province of Asia and was evangel- 
ized indirectly as a result of Paul's work in 
Ephesus, though Paul himself seems not to 
have gone there (Colossians 1: 3-8; 2: 1). 
Epaphras has come from Colossae to Rome 
(Colossians 1: 7; 4: 12) with news of a new 
heresy that has come to trouble the churches. 
Paul had premonitions of these wolves after the 
sheep when he was in Miletus last (Acts 20: 
29). Gnostics, with a mixture of Greek and Per- 



Paul's Long Imprisonment. 215 

sian philosophy and Essenism and a touch of the 
mystery religions with their ritual of redeemer- 
gods, had come into contact with Christianity, 
absorbing some of it also. These Gnostics (the 
knowing ones) had a theory that matter was all 
evil and God as pure and good spirit could not 
have created it. Hence, they taught a series of 
aeons or emanations between God and matter. 
Jesus they treated as one of these subordinate 
aeons and thus the person of Christ became a very 
acute issue. In reply Paul vigorously asserted 
the leadership of Christ in the universe and the 
deity of Jesus Christ. Hence, Christ is Head of 
the universe (physical and spiritual) . Some of the 
Gnostics (Cerinthian) said *hat the Christ was an 
aeon that came down on the man Jesus at his bap- 
tism and left before his death. Paul insisted on the 
identity of Jesus Christ. Some of the Gnostics 
(Docetic) held that Jesus was not a real man, 
but was all aeon and had no real humanity. Paul 
replied that all the Godhead dwelt bodily in Christ 
and that we are saved by the blood of Christ. Je- 
sus is both God and man. Some of the Gnostics 
were ascetic and some were licentious in life. So 
Paul urged real piety in soul and body. 

16. Ephesians. 

It is clear that this Epistle was a general letter 
to several churches and was not addressed pri- 
marily to the church at Ephesus. The two oldest 
manuscripts have no name for the Epistle. In 
Colossians 4: I5f, Paul sent greetings to the 



216 Studies in the New Testament. 

church in Laodicea and urged exchange of letters. 
Marcion called our "Ephesians" this letter to the 
Laodiceans and that is probably true. Though 
Paul was three years in Ephesus, no personal de- 
tails occur, except mention of Tychicus, though 
Colossians 4: 7-17 is full of them (Aristarchus, 
Mark, Luke, etc.). But a copy was preserved at 
Ephesus. In this Epistle the same general ground 
is covered as in Colossians, save that in Ephesians 
the emphasis is on the body of Christ (the Head 
of the church). The first three chapters are rich 
in the doctrine of grace and as profound as any- 
thing we have from Paul. The other chapters are 
full of ethical duties and marriage is glorified as 
being like the union of Christ and his church (his 
body). The Epistle closes with a picture of Ro- 
man armor (seen daily by Paul on the soldiers) 
as a symbol of various Christian virtues. 



Paul's Long Imprisonment. 217 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 



i. James and the elders. 

2. Jewish hate of Paul. 

3. Paul and the Sanhedrin. 

4. Paul's visions of Jesus. 

5. The conspiracy. 

6. Felix and his treatment of Paul. 

7. Festus and Paul. 

8. Herod Agrippa II. 

9. Paul's speeches in Acts. 

10. The appeal to Caesar. 

11. The voyage and shipwreck. 

12. Melita. 

13. Paul's life in Rome. 

14. Philippians. 

15. Philemon. 

16. Gnosticism. 

17. Colossians. 

18. Ephesians. 

19. Laodicea. 



CHAPTER XIIL 



LAST YEARS OF PAUL. 



1. Obscurity. 

The book of Acts closes with Paul still a 
prisoner, probably because the book was com- 
pleted at this stage. Hence, we can only con- 
jecture the course of events from this on except 
the few details in the Pastoral Epistles and in the 
early Christian writers. Some critics reject the 
Pastoral Epistles in whole and some in part. Some 
few who accept them place them before this Ro- 
man visit of Paul. The date of the death of Paul 
is another problem. Some ground exists for 
thinking that Paul was put to death with Peter 
about A.D. 64 in connection with the persecu- 
tion by Nero after the burning of Rome. In 
that case Paul was not set free from the long 
imprisonment except by death. But, on the whole, 
the preponderance of evidence is in favor of the 
genuineness of the Pastoral Epistles and to the 
effect that Paul was set free. We follow, there- 
fore, the probable order of events for these clos- 
ing years without being too dogmatic about the 
matter. 

(218) 



Last Years of Paul. 219 

2. The Trial. 

In simple truth, it is not clear that Paul's case 
ever came to trial. The Jews from Asia, who 
raised the disturbance, vanished. The Sanhedrin 
took the case up and pressed it for two years be- 
fore Felix and Festus and Agrippa, but could 
never make a case against Paul before Roman 
law, so that Festus was at a loss for a charge when 
Paul appealed to Rome, and even Herod Agrippa, 
the Jew, could see no wrong in him. We do not 
know what charge Festus sent to Rome against 
Paul, or whether his letter ever came because of 
the shipwreck. The Sanhedrin may not have 
pushed the matter in Rome. Nero, like Tiberius 
before him, was proverbially dilatory with provin- 
cial cases. Even so, it is doubtful if Nero himself 
heard Paul this time. After the several years of 
waiting in vain for Paul's accusers to come, it is 
probable that the case was simply dismissed and 
Paul set free again. 

3. Back in Asia. 

Paul's plan when in Corinth had been to go 
from Rome to Spain, but that was some five or 
six years ago and meanwhile fresh problems had 
arisen in the east that called Paul in that- direc- 
tion. When he wrote to the Philippians (i : 26) 
and to Philemon (22), he was expecting to come 
to see them soon. It is probable, therefore, that 
Paul went back to his old haunts to follow up the 
teachings of his recent letters about Gnosticism. 
If he did what he hoped, he went to Colossae and 



220 Studies in the New Testament. 

to Philippi and probably to various other places 
in the east. 

4. Spain. 

Clement of Rome records that Paul did go to 
the limit of the west. We can only say, therefore, 
that Paul may have gone to Spain after the visit 
east. There is a legend to the effect that Paul 
went even as far as Britain, but no actual evi- 
dence of such a visit exists. It is possible that 
Paul was in Spain when Nero burned Rome, 
A.D. 64. 

5. The Burning of Rome. 

This terrible catastrophe changed the whole 
horizon for Christians in Rome and to a large 
extent in the empire. In a mad freak Nero set 
fire to the city to see it burn and have a new sen- 
sation. The story is that he fiddled on the house- 
top while the fire raged. The fury of the people, 
however, led Nero to lay the blame on the Chris- 
tians as the scapegoats. As a result he began 
furiously to persecute the Christians, who were 
now distinguished from Jews and were considered 
criminals. To be a Christian was now a crime, 
and the Christians had no longer any standing 
before Roman law and were the victims of popu- 
lar fury. Unspeakable horrors were committed 
against them in Rome. The Christians were 
burned and were cast to lions and tigers in the 
amphitheater to amuse the populace. No Chris- 
tian was now safe in Rome. 



Last Years of Paul. 221 

6. Crete. 

We only know that on his way east Paul left 
Titus in Crete (Titus 1:5), possibly A. D. 65. 
We know nothing of the length of his stay, but 
the Epistle to Titus shows that Paul gained a 
full knowledge of conditions there and was anx- 
ious that Titus should correct the evils as far as 
possible by the choice of competent pastors for 
the churches already organized. Paul expected 
to send Artemas or Tychicus, so that Titus could 
come on to Nicopolis (Titus 3: 12), where Paul 
was then. Zenas and Apollos were also in Crete 
(Titus 3 : 13). Evidently considerable work was 
done in Crete. 

7. In Asia the Last Time. 

Hints in 1 Timothy, written from Macedonia, 
and 2 Timothy, written from Rome, tell of various 
points at which Paul touched during this journey. 
Perhaps Ephesus is one of them (1 Timothy 
1 : 3), in spite of Paul's fear that he had seen them 
for the -last time (Acts 20: 25, 38). He had left 
Timothy in charge at Ephesus. He had sent 
Tychicus on to Ephesus (2 Timothy 4: 12), 
where also Prisca and Aquila were again and the 
house of Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 4: 19). Later 
the apostle John is said to have labored here also. 
Paul left Trophimus sick at Miletus (2 Timothy 
4: 20), and Erastus at Corinth. He had been 
also at Troas with Carpus (2 Timothy 4: 13). 
These glimpses of Paul's last activities are help- 
ful and interesting. The time was probably A.D. 
66 or 67. 



222 Studies in the New Testament. 

8. In Macedonia Once More. 

Paul was going to Macedonia when he left 
Timothy in Ephesus (i Timothy 1:3). He ex- 
pected to go on to Nicopolis, on the western coast 
of Achaia, for the winter (Titus 3: 12). This 
is all that is told us. Perhaps this was in the 
autumn of A.D. 67. But he was still in Mace- 
donia w T hen he wrote the first letter to Timothy. 
The date was either A.D. 66 or 67. 

9. First Timothy. 

The letter tells us nothing of Paul's environ- 
ment, save that he was in Macedonia (perhaps 
Philippi or Thessalonica). The occasion of the 
letter is not given, though the purpose is implied 
in 1 : 3f. He means to reenforce the private ex- 
hortations given to Timothy when he urged him 
to stay at Ephesus because of the spread of heret- 
ical teaching there. Paul had foreseen the com- 
ing of these men a long time ago (Acts 20: 2gft). 
The east was full of all sorts of teachers with all 
sorts of theological wares. They came from 
Egypt with the worship of Isis and Osiris, the 
"redeemer-gods," who were thought to have died 
and to have come to life again. The followers of 
Mithras were beginning to press his claims as a 
"saviour-god" with his mystery-cult of the tauro- 
bolium (the blood-bath of the bull) and other 
secret initiations. The Essenes, Parsees and Stoics 
had contributed something to the Gnostics, who 
had picked up a sprinkling of Christianity. These 
Gnostics had already given much trouble in Colos- 



Last Years of Paul. 223 

sae and Laodicea and all Asia. They still have a 
following in Ephesus and Paul is greatly disturbed 
over the future of the kingdom of God. Paul 
had fought the Judaizers throughout the strength 
of his manhood and had won freedom in Christ 
for all men. Now in his old age he still has to 
battle against the strange medley of philosophy, 
Essenism, heathenism and Christianity under the 
guise of Gnosticism. His hope is the young min- 
isters who are to carry the work on after him. 
One of the best beloved of these is Timothy. Not 
all have been faithful in the trying times that 
have come. Some have made shipwreck concern- 
ing the faith like Hymeneus and Alexander. 
Paul is anxious that Timothy fulfill the proph- 
ecies (promises) of his youth and make progress 
and full proof of his ministry. This Epistle is, 
therefore, largely personal in that careful instruc- 
tions are given to Timothy about himself, but Paul 
also discusses various ecclesiastical problems like 
the qualifications of bishops and deacons and 
social problems in the church like the relations 
between those of different sex, age and financial 
conditions. The letter is not strictly doctrinal, 
but the chief Pauline doctrines appear in it. There 
is the true solicitude of an old preacher for his 
younger colleague and son in the gospel. 

10. The Epistle to Titus. 

It is not certain whether Paul was still in Mace- 
donia, or had gone en to Nicopolis, where he 
meant to spend the winter (Titus 3: 12). It 



224 Studies in the New Testament. 

is rather implied that he has not yet gone to 
Nicopolis when he writes to Titus, since he 
says, "there" instead of "here." So it is a mat- 
ter of conjecture again as to where Paul was and 
precisely when he wrote. The fact that he was 
looking forward to the winter perhaps argues for 
early autumn (or late summer) of A.D. 67; at 
any rate, a somewhat later date than First Tim- 
othy. But Paul had been to Asia since he was in 
Crete. The situation in Crete is very much the 
same as that in Asia. Titus was the evangelist 
in charge there, as Timothy was in Ephesus. The 
crux of the situation in Crete turned also on the 
proper selection of bishops who were capable and 
loyal to the gospel of Christ. The Cretans had also 
been exposed to the Gnostics, who have a tinge 
of Pharisaism, (Titus 1 : 10) rather than of Es- 
senism. They make loud boasts, as at Ephesus, 
but their lives are a hollow mockery. Paul is 
rather sharp in his judgment of the Cretan char- 
acter. The Cretans had won the reputation of 
liars because they said that Zeus was dead and 
was buried in Crete. As a result, one of their 
own poets, Epimenides, had called them liars and 
gluttons. But it was possible to be true to Christ 
even in such an environment. Paul urged wise 
dealing with the social problems and firm pre- 
sentation of the gospel of grace and pious living 
and strict discipline. The Epistle bristles with 
keen and pithy points. 



Last Years of Paul. 225 

11. The Arrest of Paul. 

Paul was probably arrested in Nicopolis, as 
he would hardly have crossed over to Italy under 
the changed conditions there since Nero had been 
carrying on his persecution against the Chris- 
tians. There were informers in plenty who would 
be only too willing to seize Paul as a well-known 
Christian on trumped-up charges. This time Paul 
was not the victim of Judaizing jealousy or Jewish 
hate, but rather of Gentile indignation against 
him as one who was disturbing the worship of 
the old gods and who was under the imperial 
ban. Paul was now a religious outlaw. It was 
not difficult to accuse him of complicity in the 
burning of Rome and so get him to Rome. 

12. In the Mamertine Dungeon. 

Paul was not allowed the liberty of his own 
hired house now. He was closely confined as one 
charged with a capital crime, and seems to have 
had a winter of cold and loneliness. He missed 
the cloak that he left with Carpus at Troas (2 
Timothy 4: 13), and he dreaded the prospect of 
another winter without it in the dark dungeon 
(2 Timothy 4: 21). One is reminded of John 
the Baptist in the prison at Machserus. Friends 
were permitted to see Paul, but few dared to 
avail themselves of the privilege because of the 
peril involved in thus acknowledging themselves 
Christians, which was itself now a crime in 
Nero's eyes. Some were ashamed of Paul's 
chains and also afraid to come to see him. The 

15 



226 Studies in the New Testament. 

house of Onesiphorus sought Paul and found 
him in Rome (2 Timothy 1 : i6f), as at Ephesus, 
but the majority had other engagements. Some 
even forsook Paul, like Demas, who went to 
Thessalonica (4: 10), and even Titus had gone 
to Dalmatia, whether against Paul's wish or not 
is not clear. At any rate, only Luke was with 
Paul constantly (4: 11), though there were other 
friends still in Rome, like Eubulus, Pudens, 
Linus, Claudia (4: 21). But Paul is not afraid, 
though he does long to see Timothy again be- 
fore the end comes, and also Mark, who has 
shown himself useful and has overcome his early 
slip in his work (4: 11). The old apostle longs 
for his books, especially the parchments (2 Luke 
4 : 13). One of the consolations of old age is the 
great books that one loves. The hour comes when 
one wishes only the Book. 

13. The First Stage of the Trial (2 Timothy 4: 16f). 

Paul had already had one appearance in court 
before he wrote to Timothy and had escaped con- 
demnation on that charge, whatever it was. He 
had escaped the mouth of the lion, as, alas, so 
many of the disciples had not done ! But Paul 
cherished no false hopes as to the outcome. He 
had not had a hand in the burning of Rome, nor 
was he guilty of any of the charges trumped up 
against him. But he was a Christian, and that 
was what mattered. He would not deny this fact, 
nor would he renounce Jesus. He would not pur- 
chase life on earth by saying "Lord Caesar," in- 



Last Years of Paul. 227 

stead of "Lord Jesus." So he looked steadily 
towards the inevitable outcome, and he was ready 
for it. He had run his course, fought his fight, 
kept the faith. He was ready for the sacrifice 
and the crown. 

14. Second Timothy. 

This was Paul's state of mind when he wrote 
to Timothy who was still in Ephesus. He prob- 
ably wrote in the spring of A.D. 68. Nero killed 
himself early in June of that year, and Paul 
was almost certainly put to death before that 
date. It is to be hoped that Timothy reached 
Rome before Paul's death. The allusicn to Tim- 
othy's being set free (Hebrews 13: 23) indicates 
that Timothy came and was arrested for showing 
sympathy with Paul. This last Epistle of the 
great apostle is rich with the mellow wisdom and 
serene triumph of Paul's spirit over all opposi- 
tion. He is eager that Timothy shall be a good 
soldier, faithful as Christ was and as Paul has 
been. He offers to Timothy the heroic call to 
suffer hardship with him with the joy of service. 
Paul counsels Timothy to be true to the trust 
(deposit) which God has placed with him. Christ 
is able to guard the deposit which Paul has put 
into his hands. Timothy is urged to train up 
faithful men who can teach others also (2 Tim- 
othy 2:2). Paul saw that the problem of the 
gospel was largely that of teaching the teachers. 
If the teachers really understand Jesus and his 
mission and are capable ("able to teach") of 



228 Studies in the New Testament. 

teaching, there is every hope. But even now, after 
nineteen hundred years, Christianity is still 
struggling with the task of equipping men and 
women to teach the things of Christ. In particu- 
lar, Timothy must see to it that he himself is a 
properly prepared exponent of the Word of 
truth (2: 15) and ready for every good work 
(2: 21). Paul knows that people will have ears 
that itch for new and silly tales (4: 3), but the 
remedy is to preach the Word (4: 2), and to live 
it. Jesus abideth faithful, for he cannot deny him- 
self (2: 13). 

15. The Death of Paul. 

No man has written the story of Paul's death. 
As a Roman citizen he would be beheaded, and 
tradition places the execution on the Ostian Road, 
outside of the city of Rome. Let us hope that 
Luke went with Paul and saw the end. Timothy 
would go also if in Rome and not a prisoner. But 
few others would dare go with Paul to the execu- 
tioner's block. But what did it matter to Paul 
now? Jesus stood by him in his trial (2 Timothy 
4: 17), when all others had failed him, when not 
even Luke seemed to have been present (2 Tim- 
othy 4: 16). Jesus had never failed Paul since 
that day when he stopped him on the road to 
Damascus with the challenge, "Saul, Saul, why 
persecutest thcu me?" (Acts 9: 4.) Jesus laid 
his hand upon Paul and gripped his whole life 
that day, since which time his one ambition and 
passion had been to grip fast the goal set before 



Last Years of Paul. 229 

him by Christ (Philippians 3: 13). And now 
the goal is no longer a flying one, but Jesus "will 
save me unto his heavenly kingdom" (2 Timothy 
4: 18). That is Paul's trust in Jesus and he was 
not disappointed. So Nero had his revenge on 
Paul but soon paid the penalty with his own life. 
Today Nero is chiefly remembered for his wild 
cruelties and as the opposite of Paul, whose life 
he touched by contrast, little knowing that the 
poor Christian prisoner was the chief force in the 
life of the world at that time and would through 
the ages mould men's lives for Christ. I confess 
to inability to comprehend the mental attitude of 
those who regard Paul as the perverter of the 
mission of Jesus. The rather he is the best in- 
terpreter of the mind and mission of Christ for 
all ages, the most intellectual, the most virile, the 
most alert and comprehensive, the sanest philos- 
opher, the soundest statesman, the best soul- 
winner of all those who have followed in the foot- 
steps of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. 



230 Studies in the New Testament. 

TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1. Our knowledge of this period. 

2. The outcome of this imprisonment. 

3. Paul's travels after his release. 

4. The burning of Rome. 

5. Crete. 

6. Tychicus. 

7. First Timothy. 

8. Life of Timothy. 

9. Life of Titus. 

10. Epistle to Titus. 

11. Paul's last imprisonment. 

12. The last trial. 

13. Nero. 

14. Second Timothy. 

15. Paul's death. 

16. Paul as an interpreter of Christ. 



CHAPTER XIV, 



THE TEACHING OF PETER AND JUDE. 



1. The General or Catholic Epistles. 

This term has been applied to the two Epistles 
of Peter, the one of Jude, the one of James, and 
the three of John on the assumption that they 
are not addressed to individuals or to single 
churches, but to groups of churches or to Chris- 
tians at large. It is not true of 2 and 3 John, 
which are plainly to individuals (or a single 
church in the case of 2 John). The Epistles of 
Peter and Jude are directed to the elect who 
are sojourners of the Dispersion in the various 
provinces of Asia Minor. First John has no in- 
dication of destination, but sefcms to have the 
same class of readers in mind. The Epistle of 
James, as already shown (chapter VIII., 18) , was 
probably written much earlier than the other 
Catholic Epistles (about A.D. 48). It was ad- 
dressed to the Christian Jews of the Eastern Dis- 
persion, while the other Catholic Epistles were 
sent to Christians (Jew and Gentile) of the 
Western Dispersion. James is probably the very 
earliest of the New Testament books, while the 
Epistles of John seem to belong to the period 

(231) 



232 Studies in the New Testament. 

after the destruction of Jerusalem. Besides, the 
situation that is met in the Epistle of James is 
very different from that found in the other Cath- 
olic Epistles. The Epistles of Peter and Jude 
likewise outline a different condition from that set 
forth in the Johannine Epistles. The grouping 
is, therefore, mechanical and of very little value 
to the student of the New Testament. 

2. The Later Ministry of Peter. 

We have followed the work of Simon Peter 
till he was rebuked by Paul at Antioch because 
of his weakness in the presence of the Judaizers 
from Jerusalem (Galatians 2 : 11-21). After that 
sad incident our knowledge of Peter is very slight. 
Paul refers to him in 1 Corinthians 9: 5, in lan- 
guage that shows Peter was married, as were 
James and Jude, brothers of Jesus, and took his 
wife with him on his journeys. In the Jerusalem 
agreement (Galatians 2: 9) the plan was for 
Peter to have the mission to_ the circumcision, 
while Paul had that to the uncircumcision. In 
modern phraseology Paul was the chief foreign 
missionary, while Peter was the leading home 
missionary. But the lines were not kept distinct. 
In the main, however, we are to think of Peter 
as active among the Jews of the Dispersion since 
James was in charge in Jerusalem. For the rest 
we are largely at sea, though there are many late 
rumors of Peter's travels and activities. He is 
reported to have labored in Babylon among the 
great multitude of Jews there. In fact, Peter 



Teaching of Peter and Jude. 233 

was in Babylon when he wrote the First Epistle 
(i Peter 5 : 13), if Babylon is to be taken literally 
and not as a mystical allusion to Rome after the 
fashion of the apocalyptic writings, like Revela- 
tion. In that case, he was in Rome itself. There 
are various statements by early Christian writers 
about Peter's ministry in Rome. It has been 
argued by some that Paul had remained away 
from Rome so long because Peter was there at 
work and he did not wish to build upon another 
man's foundation (Romans 15: 20). But cer- 
tainly Peter was not in Rome during Paul's first 
Roman imprisonment, nor during the second un- 
less after the writing of Second Timothy or un- 
less Paul studiously avoided mentioning him, 
which is not likely. There is every argument 
against the idea that Peter founded the church at 
Rome and remained there till his death. He may 
have labored a while in Rome. On the whole, it 
is more than probable that he did visit Rome. 
That is all that we can say. He may have gone 
also to Corinth since a party in Corinth claimed 
to follow him against both Paul and Apollos (1 
Corinthians 1: 12), but the language does not 
necessarily mean that this is true. Then, again, 
Peter may have labored in some of the provinces 
of Asia Minor since the First Epistle is addressed 
to Christians in that region ( 1 Peter 1:1). Paul 
had certainly labored in Asia and Galatia. In 
any case, there is every indication that Peter was 
active and zealous till the end. There is no evi- 
dence that he made any claims to supreme author- 



234 Studies in the New Testament. 

ity as pope. Indeed, Paul was without doubt the 
chief spirit in the mission work of the apostolic 
period. 

3. The First Epistle of Peter. 

(a) Authorship. 

Some objection is made against the genuine- 
ness of the Epistle on the ground that it is ad- 
dressed to regions where Paul labored and that 
there is shown knowledge of Paul's Epistles. 
Neither of these objections is serious. There is 
every reason to believe that this Epistle is gen- 
uine. The bearer of it was Silvanus (Silas), 
Paul's companion during the second mission tour 
(Acts 15 : 40). It is possible that he was Peter's 
amanuensis for the Epistle. 

(b) Place. 

On the whole it is probable that Peter is in Rome, 
called (mystical) Babylon because of the Neronian 
persecution which raged so fiercely there and 
which was felt even in the provinces ( 1 Peter 4 : 
16). Peter may have come to Rome from the east 
after the persecution began, to cheer the brethren 
there. He may have labored in Rome at an 
early date when Paul was not in Rome. There 
is no doubt about Peter's courage after his con- 
duct in Jerusalem recorded in the opening chap- 
ters of Acts, in spite of his temporary defec- 
tion from Paul at Antioch. Mark is now with 
Peter and is reported to have written his Gos- 



Teaching of Peter and Jude. 235 

pel for the Romans (possibly while in Rome). 
We know that Mark had been with Paul in Rome 
about A.D. 62 or 63 (Colossians 4: 10), and had 
been planning to go to Colossae. Papias says that 
Mark was Peter's interpreter as well as com- 
panion. At any rate, there is no doubt that Mark 
made himself useful to Peter as he later did to 
Paul and that Mark's Gospel bears the marks of 
Peter's influence. Not the least thing that Peter 
did was so to preach Jesus that Mark reproduced 
his picture with touches of Peter's vividness of 
detail and action. 

(c) Date. 

The Epistle does not make the date clear. The 
allusions to the fiery persecutions through which 
the readers are passing (1 Peter 1 : 6ff ; 4: 12-16) 
seem to argue for a period soon after the burning 
of Rome when the hatred of Christians shown in 
Rome began to be copied in the provinces. For- 
sooth, it was already there, as Paul's work shows. 
Only now it was clear that Rome would not de- 
mand strict justice about the Christians and would 
have a blind eye for outrages if not actually in- 
stigate them. Compare Turkey and the frequent 
Armenian massacres in our own time. That 
date may be placed about A.D. 65. 

(d) Destination. 

This we know to be the Christians of Pontus, 
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (1 Peter 
1:1). The order of these provinces from east 



236 Studies in the New Testament. 

to west is taken to show that Peter was in Baby- 
lon and not Rome. It must be confessed that this 
is the natural way to take the language. At any 
rate, the Epistle is general in its address and Peter 
does not hesitate to address in the tone of author- 
ity those whom Paul had been chiefly instrumental 
in winning to Christ. 

(e) Leading Ideas. 

The Epistle is mainly hortatory and the precise 
aim seems -to be to hearten the readers who are 
in the midst of severe persecution by a view of the 
example of Christ and the picture of the holy 
life to which they are called. They are offered 
the consolations of piety, not immunity from suf- 
fering. The conception of the gospel is essen- 
tially the same as that of Paul. The Christians 
were redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus as 
the Paschal Lamb (i: i8f). The new birth is 
insisted upon (i : 23; 2: 2). The people of God 
as a whole are presented as a spiritual house 
(2: 4f), a holy priesthood (2: 5), an elect race, 
a holy nation, God's own possession (2: 9), pil- 
grims and sojourners here (2: 11). The term 
"brotherhood" (2 17) also occurs for the whole 
body of believers (men and women). He has 
pointed words about social wrongs that should be 
righted and social duties to be discharged. A very 
obscure passage in 3 : 19 is interpreted by some 
to teach probation after death, but on too slender 
a foundation. Peter is anxious that Christians, 
who are now hated as a class, shall show clean 



Teaching of Peter and Jude. 237 

lives and not suffer as thieves and murderers 
(4: 1-16). It is proper for judgment to begin at 
the house of God, but those not Christians cannot 
escape and are without hope and help (4: I7f). 
In 5 : 1-10, Peter seems to be mindful of the 
command of Jesus to feed the flock of God and 
he is now really humble in heart and can talk 
about it simply and powerfully. "Girded with 
humility" may be a figure taken from the towel 
with which Christ girded himself when he washed 
his disciples' feet. The Epistle is rich in words 
of comfort to the soul. 

4. The Epistle of Jude. 

(a) The Author. 

He calls himself simply "Jude, a servant of Je- 
sus Christ, and brother of James." (1) The 
James is the brother of Jesus who had a brother 
named Judas (Mark 6: 3), also not converted 
until after the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 1 : 
14). It is noticeable that, though he speaks of 
being the brother of James, he does not men- 
tion the fact that he is a brother of Jesus. In 
this he follows the example of James. The work 
of Jude is unknown to us, save that he was mar- 
ried and carried his wife with him in his work 
and travels ( 1 Corinthians 9:5). The Epistle 
shows him to be a man of vivid imagination and 
passionate nature. 



238 Studies in the Neiv Testament. 

(ib) Date. 

There is much uncertainty between this Epistle 
and 2 Peter. If the genuineness of 2 Peter is 
admitted, as I hold, then both epistles must come 
before the destruction of Jerusalem. The point is 
that the second chapter of 2 Peter either made 
use of the Epistle of Jude or Jude made use of 
this chapter. The arguments are nicely balanced, 
but, on the whole, it seems more natural to think 
that the smaller Epistle should have been to a 
certain extent incorporated in the larger than 
that the smaller should have picked out one 
chapter of the larger for modification. Besides, 
Jude has quite an individual style full of pic- 
turesque phrases that argue for originality. 
Hence, we have to think of a date somewhere 
about A.D. 66 as the probable time when the 
Epistle was written. 

(c) Place and Destination. 

We know nothing of either. There is nothing 
concerning the location of the writer. As to 
readers he only says, "to them that are called, 
beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus 
Christ" (1). This language is wholly general 
and leaves us at sea. But it is not addressed to a 
local church. 

(d) Doctrine. 

The writer is conscious of the common bond 
that binds them all in Christ, and speaks of "our 
common salvation" (3). He is aware of the 



Teaching of Peter and Jude. 239 

heresies that were threatening his readers, prob- 
ably the Gnostics, and urges the believers to con- 
tend earnestly for the faith which was once for 
all delivered unto the saints (3). The word 
"faith" here means the content of the gospel 
rather than trust in Christ. But evidently the 
heretics denied "our only Master and Lord Jesus 
Christ," not only by creed, but also in life (4). 
He reminded his readers of God's dealings with 
Israel in Egypt and with evildoers through all 
their history. The quotation from Enoch (i4f) 
occurs in nearly these words in the book of Enoch, 
one of the Jewish apocalypses. He speaks of the 
apostles of Jesus as a group of leaders (17), who 
predicted these evil days. He makes a passionate 
plea for rescue work to save the perishing (23). 

5. Second Epistle of Peter. 

(a) Authorship. 

No book in the New Testament causes so much 
doubt about its genuineness as the Second Epistle 
of Peter. The writer claims to be Simon Peter 
( 1 : 1 ) , and to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and 
refers to the First Epistle in explicit language 
(3 : 1). But, none the less, the style in the Greek 
is decidedly different in spite of certain resem- 
blances. It is argued also that the use of "your 
apostles" (3:2) shows that the writer is not really 
an apostle himself and that he places Paul's writ- 
ings on a par with the Old Testament (3: 16), 
which would not have been done in the first cen- 



240 Studies in the New Testament. 

tury. As to the style of the Greek, which is 
rather uncouth, it is possible that this was Peter's 
own work without any revision. He was called 
"unlearned and ignorant" (Acts 4: 13), and was 
certainly not a school-man, but a fisherman. In 
the case of First Peter it may be that Silvanus 
acted as Peter's amanuensis (1 Peter 5 : 12), and 
hence may have smoothed out points of Greek 
here and there. So Luke may have done in re- 
porting Peter's speech on the day of Pentecost, 
which is given in condensed form. The difference 
in vocabulary between the two Epistles may be 
partly explained by difference in subject-matter. 
The reference to apostles is not a real hindrance 
to Petrine authorship nor is that to Paul's writ- 
ings. Peter really loved Paul, and there was no 
standing breach between them. Indeed, 1 Peter 
represents an essentially Pauline conception of 
Christ and Christianity. On the whole, therefore, 
the evidence is still in favor of the genuineness 
of Second Peter as Bigg holds in his great com- 
mentary. If the Epistle is not genuine it is pseu- 
depigraphic (under an assumed name), for the 
name of Simon Peter is employed as the author. 
The situation is not like that of the Epistle to 
the Hebrews, which makes no claim about the 
author. 

(b) Date. 

If genuine, the date must come between First 
Peter and Peter's death (between A.D. 65 and 
68), probably 67 or 68. 



Teaching of Peter and Jude. 241 

(c) Destination. 

The writer expressly says that he is addressing 
the same readers as those reached by First Peter 
(2 Peter 3 : 1). 

(d) Chief Ideas. 

The Epistle is intensely practical and rich in 
helpful exhortations. He evidently means to com- 
bat the Gnostic teaching in the most effective way 
by a richer experience of Christ. The "like 
precious f aith" ( 1 : 1 ) reminds one of the 
"preciousness" to believers in 1 Peter 2 : 7. Peter 
lays emphasis on "knowledge" in this epistle (1 : 
2, 5, 12; 2: 20; 3 : 18). With Peter the knowl- 
edge of Jesus is the most excellent of the sciences. 
He appeals to his own knowledge of Christ while 
on earth, "eyewitnesses of his majesty" (1: 16), 
and describes the voice from the majestic glory 
on the Mount of Transfiguration, the holy mount 
(1 : iyi). Peter holds to the new birth (partakers 
of the divine nature, 1:4), and urges diligence 
to the full realization of God's elective purpose 
concerning us (1: 5-11). He is anxious to do 
his part to that end by this letter to stir up their 
minds by remembrance and to do something so 
that after his death they may be able to know the 
things of Christ (1 : I4f). It is possible that he 
has here in mind also the Gospel of Mark, which 
had been prepared to some extent under Peter's 
auspices. At any rate, there is now no excuse for 
any not to know Jesus. The dim light of prophecy 
has been displaced by the full-orbed Sun of Right- 

16 



242 Studies in the New Testament. 

eousness. The word of prophecy is thus made 
clearer by the coming of Christ. Men spoke as 
the Holy Spirit disclosed to them, not by caprice 
or impulse. The translation should be "pri- 
vate disclosure/' not "private interpretation" ( I : 
2of). The coming of false prophets was to be 
expected and should not be disconcerting any 
more than it was in the days of old, and we 
may add in the days since Peter wrote. "New 
Thought/' "Christian Science/' "Russellism," 
"Mormonism," and many other crudities will con- 
tinue to disturb the followers of Jesus. A few 
men are even saying that Jesus never existed, and 
that Paul and Peter misunderstood him if he did 
exist. "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the 
godly out of temptation" (2: 9). He will do it 
now. Men had already begun to ridicule the re- 
turn of Christ to earth. The scoffers misunder- 
stood the ways of God who does not count time 
as we do. The main concern of all should be 
earnest piety, so as to be ready for Jesus when 
he does come and to hasten his coming by the 
spread of his kingdom among men. 

6. The Death of Peter. 

We are not told any of the details, and the early 
writers are not agreed. He was probably put to 
death about A.D. 68, not far from the time of 
Paul's death. There is some support for the 
notion that Peter was put to death about A.D. 64 
as a result of Nero's persecutions, soon after the 
burning of Rome, but we follow the more probable 



Teaching of Peter and Jude. 243 

theory. The place seems to have been Rome. The 
story is that he was crucified and, at his own re- 
quest, head downward as not worthy to be cruci- 
fied as Jesus was. But we can only know that 
Peter died worthily as Jesus had said he would 
do (John 21 : i8f). He had once boasted that he 
would die for Jesus though all men forsook him, 
and then denied Christ that very night. But by 
slow steps Peter came back and up and met his 
task bravely and nobly to the end. 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1. The Catholic Epistles. 

2. The life of Simon Peter. 

3. Peter and Paul. 

4. The First Epistle of Peter. 

5. The Second Epistle of Peter. 

6. Pseudepigraphic writings. 

7. The beginning of a New Testament 
canon. 

8. Jude the brother of James. 

9. The Epistle of Jude. 

10. Peter and Rome. 

11. Heresy in creed. 

12. Heresy in conduct. 

13. The second coming of Christ. 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST, 



1. Unity of Teaching in the New Testament. 

The most striking thing in the New Testament 
is the unity of conception of Christ and oneness 
in doctrine and ethical standards. The various 
books represent different grades of culture and 
separate standpoints. One sees at once that the 
bond of union is Jesus. Efforts have been made 
to show that the earliest type of teaching in Chris- 
tian circles regarded Jesus as merely a good man 
and that Jesus himself did not claim to be Christ 
the Son of God and did not receive worship. It 
has been asserted that it was only after Paul had 
made his interpretation of Jesus as the Christ 
that the disciples came to worship Jesus as the 
Son of God. Hence the cry "Back to Christ" was 
raised to get away from the Christ of Paul to the 
Jesus of the Synoptic Gospels. Unfortunately for 
this plea, the Jesus of the Synoptic Gospels turns 
out to be identical with the Christ of Paul and of 
the Gospel of John. Then it was urged that the 
real historical Jesus can be found only in the 
original sources that lay behind the Synoptic Gos- 
pels, but, when modern criticism has agreed on 
this source called O, or Logia of Jesus behold, 

(244) 



The Priesthood of Christ. 245 

Christ is there, Jesus Christ the Son of God. The 
next step has been taken, viz., to brush all the 
Gospels and their sources aside as perverted and 
distorted pictures under the twist of theology. The 
historical Jesus can only be found by rejecting 
all the known evidence about him and making up 
a Jesus of the imagination, the Jesus of evolution 
pure and simple, the mere product of his time, a 
good man, but only a man. It remains only to 
add that the final step in this delusion in criticism 
is to say that Jesus never existed at all, but is 
pure invention. This bold denial of the historicity 
of Jesus is the logical deduction from the rejection 
of the Gospels as witnesses about him. But it is 
a reductio ad absurdum and defeats itself. We 
come back then to sanity in criticism. Once admit 
that all the New Testament books treat Jesus as 
the Son of God, as God and man, and we have no 
trouble on that score if we are willing to hear 
testimony and to hear the witness of Christ in 
our own hearts and lives. We are ready then 
to see diversity in unity, but the unity is there 
because the same spirit has spoken through differ- 
ent men the gospel of grace in Christ. The books 
present Christianity, not Judaism, not Buddhism, 
not Stoicism, not Mithraism, nor any other of the 
mystery cults. 

2. Diversity of Teaching. 

There are many sides to the character of Christ. 
The Epistle of James gives us probably the earliest 
view of Jesus that we have, but even there Jesus is 



246 Studies in the New Testament. 

the Lord Christ and the object of faith. No one 
Gospel is exhaustive in presenting the story of Je- 
sus. There is an element of truth in the new dis- 
cussion of the Synoptic Christ, the Johannine 
Christ, the Pauline Christ, the Petrine Christ, but 
the difference is a matter of temperament and 
training, not of different Christs. Paul did not 
preach "another Jesus" (2 Corinthians 11: 4) 
from Peter and Peter from .Paul. Jesus himself 
was so many-sided that no one man saw all of him 
or could tell all that he saw. Each man gave his 
interpretation. At bottom, they all agree, but there 
is the diversity of life. Each of the Synoptic Gos- 
pels has its own angle of vision. Mark's Gospel 
is the simplest and the most objective presenta- 
tion of Jesus, while Matthew's Gospel gives us 
Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, and Luke's as the 
Saviour of the whole world. But, while this is 
true, the variation is a matter of emphasis or tone 
in the picture, not of essence. Each of the Synop- 
tic Gospels gives Jesus as the Christ, the Son of 
God, the object of faith and worship. The Gospel 
of John is more metaphysical and philosophical in 
the prologue (John 1: 1-18), and gives the 
eternal relation of Jesus as the Logos (cf. Plato 
and Philo), who is eternally with the Father 
(eternally begotten as Origen says), and who was 
incarnated or made flesh and dwelt among men. 
But it is not a new Christ, but the same Christ 
who died for our sins and rose again from the 
dead and now leads the hosts of righteousness to 
victory. Paul comes to the interpretation of Jesus 



The Priesthood of Christ. 247 

from the side of Pharisaism and with a trained 
intellect and theological precision of statement. 
But Paul dropped the vagaries of Pharisaism con- 
cerning a political Messiah and grounded his view 
of Christ in his own experience of grace, though 
he brought a rich environment of Jewish and 
Greek culture to the statement of his views. He 
is the theologian of the New Testament, but he 
never loses sight of the central fact of Christ's 
death for sinners. Freedom from sin and from 
the law by reason of Christ's atoning death is the 
core of Paul's teaching. Peter is eminently prac- 
tical, but he has a firm grasp upon the funda- 
mentals of the faith, redemption by the blood of 
Christ, and proof of the new birth by the new life. 
The Epistle to the Hebrews emphasizes the priestly 
work of Christ which is found elsewhere also. 
Paul proclaimed the propitiatory death of Christ 
as the heart of his gospel (Romans 3 : 25) . Peter 
taught redemption by the precious blood of Christ 
(1 Peter 1 : i8f). With John we see the same 
idea, for Jesus is the propitiation for our sins (1 
John 2: 2). The book of Revelation has much 
about the Lamb slain for our sins (Revelation 5 : 
6, 10). But the only formal discussion of the 
priestly work of Christ occurs in the Epistle to the 
Hebrews. He is the Priest-victim in the New 
Testament as well as Prophet and King, but in 
the Epistle to the Hebrews the subject is treated 
with fullness and marvelous ability. 



248 Studies in the New Testament. 

3. Authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews. 

The Epistle itself tells nothing, and many names 
have been suggested, such as Paul, Luke, Apollos, 
Barnabas, Clement, Silas, Timothy, Priscilla. As 
a matter of fact we really do not know and prob- 
ably shall never know. Origen says that only God 
knows. The argument from style is not conclu- 
sive, though it certainly is not in the style of any 
of Paul's thirteen Epistles. It is held by some 
that the book was originally an address of Paul 
which was put by Luke into the form of a letter. 
But anonymity does not affect the value of the 
book at all. Paul still has advocates, though the 
bulk of modern opinion is against the Pauline 
authorship. 

4. Destination. 

There is doubt also concerning the readers. It 
seems clear that a local church is addressed, for 
the writer seems to refer to specific experiences 
of a group of people in one community (Hebrews 
io: 34ff). The whole argument of the book 
makes it plain that this group is a body of Jewish 
Christians and not Gentile Christians. But what 
Jewish church ? Naturally, the church in Jerusa- 
lem occurs to one as the most obvious one, since 
there is so much in the book about the ritual of 
Jewish worship. Some have argued for a place 
in Egypt or in Asia Minor, or even in Italy. The 
oldest manuscripts have simply "To Hebrews." 
Like Matthew's Gospel and the Epistle of James, 
this Epistle is addressed specially to Jews. 



The Priesthood of Christ. 249 

5. Place of Writing. 

The writer may have been in Italy. The sen- 
tence, 'They of Italy salute you" (Hebrews 13: 
24), naturally implies that the writer is in Italy, 
but it may also mean those who have come from 
Italy and are now with the writer. Equally in- 
conclusive is the reference to Timothy (13: 23), 
who may be in Italy after his release or may have 
left. 

6. The Date. 

The fullness of detail about the ritual worship 
apparently implies that the temple is still stand- 
ing. But the fact that the description of the taber- 
nacle is given, rather than the temple, is urged on 
the other hand to show that the book was written 
after the destruction of the temple. The writer, 
however, explains (8: 2f), that the tabernacle is 
used because it was an immediate copy of the 
heavenly pattern. Besides, the argument that the 
old covenant "is nigh unto vanishing away" (8 : 
13) would have been clinched by the statement 
that the temple itself has been destroyed. The 
failure to do this argues that the book was written 
before that event, and yet it may have been just 
before. Once more the plea for Christians to 
come out of the Jewish camp (13: nff) makes 
it unlikely that the temple was destroyed when 
the book was written. So, then, if the Epistle was 
written after Paul's death (before June. A.D 
68) and before the destruction of the temple in 
A.D. 70, we have a narrow margin for the date, 
somewhere near A.D. 69. 



250 Studies in the New Testament. 

7. Style. 

The author is the most literary of all the New 
Testament writers, though the book is written 
in the current koine. It is not literary Attic nor 
exactly literary koine, but is vernacular koine, 
with a decided literary flavor. There is progress 
in the argument and more literary structure than 
is usually the case in the New Testament. The 
book begins like a treatise, proceeds like a sermon, 
and concludes like a letter. In the opening verses 
there are some terms that reveal knowledge of 
Alexandrian philosophy (cf. John's use of Logos 
for Christ, a term common in Plato and Philo), 
whether Philo or the Wisdom of Solomon or just 
a knowledge of the school of Alexandria. The 
Epistle to the Hebrews is intensely loyal to Christ 
and its philosophy of religion is centered in the 
person of Christ. The writer uses the figures of 
speech of a man of culture and has often the 
periodic structure of the orator with the orator's 
glow and passion. 

8. Occasion. 

The immediate occasion of the Epistle was ap- 
parently the peculiar trial of the Jewish Chris- 
tians. It is not a case like the Judaizers in Anti- 
och and Jerusalem, Galatia and Corinth who 
sought to fasten Judaism upon Christianity, or 
like the Gnostics in Asia who tried to dilute Chris- 
tianity with philosophical speculation and the 
mystery cults. The trouble is here far more sim- 
ple and direct. The Jewish Christians are at- 



The Priesthood of Christ. 251 

tacked by their Jewish neighbors with the charge 
that Christianity is no religion at all when com- 
pared with Judaism. The Christians are re- 
minded of Moses and the angels, of Joshua and 
Aaron, of the prophets and the covenant, of the 
tabernacle and temple with all the glorious serv- 
ice, of the promises to Israel alone. They were 
reminded also of the low estate of Jesus, who was 
not merely a man, but a man rejected by the 
Jewish ecclesiastics and crucified as a criminal. 
They were asked, in short, to give up Christianity 
entirely and come back to Judaism, the religion 
of their fathers, the only religion worth while. It 
was a powerful plea and had evidently made some 
impression. The enthusiasm of many was chilled. 
Their activity was deadened and hesitation and 
doubt had settled upon some. It was a crisis for 
that church and meant ruin for it if matters were 
not set right. One is reminded of the crisis in New 
England Congregationalism when Unitarianism 
carried away so many of the churches from the 
worship of Jesus as Lord and Saviour. The 
author writes out of a deep sense of immediate 
need and for the purpose of meeting this crisis 
and holding these Jewish Christians to their con- 
fession of faith and hope in Christ. 

9. The Line of Argument. 

The author proceeds to show in most mas- 
terly fashion that Jesus is the real glory of Chris- 
tianity and that Jesus lifts it sheer above Judaism 



252 Studies in the New Testament. 

at every turn. We can follow his course of argu- 
ment with perfect ease. 

(a) Jesus is Better Than the Prophets (1: 1-3). 

He is the Son of God and that is the crown of 
the gospel. God did speak through the prophets 
to the men of old. That is true beyond doubt, but 
it was a scattered and a varied message, but, in the 
person of God's Son, God has given the full and 
final Word to men, the consummation of the old. 
This Son is very God of very God in essence, 
power and service. He not only made the uni- 
verse, but he has offered sacrifice for sin and now 
sits on the throne with the Father. 

(b) Jesus is Better Than the Angels (1: 4 — 2: 18). 

At once Jesus has been lifted to a plane above 
man and yet he was and still is man. The per- 
son of Christ is thus a problem not from the 
Gnostic standpoint, but from the universal stand- 
point. In particular the Jews were opposed to 
the worship of a mere man and most of them to 
the worship of angels, though some Jews (cf. 
Tobit) had already begun to worship angels (so 
the Essenes). But the angels worship Jesus. The 
writer presents Jesus as superior to angels be- 
cause he is the Son of God ( i : 4 — 2 14), as shown 
by Scripture. Hence, it is perilous to turn away 
from this great salvation. Once again he is 
superior to angels because he is the Son of man 
(2: 5-18). This very Incarnation is a crown of 
honor and fulfills the true destiny of man. More- 



The Priesthood of Christ. 253 

over, the Incarnation was appropriate as the Fa- 
ther looked at it, since thus the Son gained a per- 
fect human experience and was qualified to render 
service as high priest of which he would have 
been incapable otherwise. 

(c) Jesus is Better Than Moses and Joshua 

(3: 1—4: 13). 

What the Jewish Christians need is to under- 
stand Jesus properly, to "realize" Jesus. If they 
do that, they will see that Moses was a faithful 
servant in God's house (people of Israel), while 
Jesus is a faithful Son over God's house (the 
spiritual Israel). The warning is pertinent for 
the Jewish Christians not to imitate their ances- 
tors, who, under Moses, perished in the wilder- 
ness and proved unworthy to enter the Promised 
Land. The elect are those that hold out unto the 
end. The eye of God is upon all and no one can 
escape him. 

(d) Jesus is a Better High Priest Than Aaron 

(4: 14—7: 28). 

The high priest had human sympathy and di- 
vine appointment. Jesus had both. His experi- 
ence in Gethsemane proves his sympathy and he 
was appointed by God a High Priest after the 
order of Melchizedek, not Aaron. The author 
then proves that Melchizedek was a greater man 
than Abraham, and, therefore, of Aaron and Levi. 
Jesus belonged to the tribe of Judah, not of Levi. 
He is a King-Priest, like Melchizedek. The 



254 Studies in the New Testament. 

readers are rebuked for their sluggishness and 
urged to wake up and not to relapse into a state 
of hopeless defection. Their hope is in God who 
has given his promise and oath to keep those who 
flee to him for refuge. 

(e) Jesus Ministers Under a Better Covenant 

(Chapter 8). 

The covenant of law failed because the people 
could not or did not keep it. The new covenant 
is one of grace and is in the heart. It is operative 
and effectual in Christ and displaces the old Chris- 
tianity ; thus it takes the place of Judaism, which 
is old and nigh unto vanishing away. 

(f) Jesus Serves in a Better Sanctuary (9: 1-12). 

The old, though patterned after the heavenly, 
was only meant to last till a time of reformation, 
when Jesus came and the ceremonial passed away 
because the real had come. Jesus is now our 
High Priest in heaven, the greater and more per- 
fect tabernacle where he officiates. 

(g) Jesus Offers a Better Sacrifice (9: 13 — 10: 18). 

The blood of bulls and goats has no efficacy 
in itself. It only serves as a symbol of the true 
sacrifice, which is Jesus himself. He is the Vic- 
tim and the Priest. His sacrifice is voluntary and, 
therefore, in the realm of Spirit. It is that of the 
sinless God-man with infinite value. Thus he 
makes effective the types of himself. Thus he is 
able by the one sacrifice, which does not have to be 



The Priesthood of Christ. 255 

repeated, to save to the uttermost all that come 
unto God by him. There is no more need of a 
sin offering, for this one offering brings remis- 
sion of sin. Thus we are cleansed in heart and 
life, sanctified in Christ. 

(h) Jesus Fulfills the Promises (10: 19—12: 3). 

Faith in the unseen God has actuated the saints 
in all the ages. They had faith in God even when 
they failed to see the great promise of the Mes- 
siah come true. They did see God faithful in 
his word, even in times of the greatest trial. The 
inspiration of the high and holy past stirs the real 
Jews to be loyal to Christ now. Jesus himself 
endured the cross and despised the shame, and 
thus gives us the supreme example of fidelity. He 
is the author and finisher of our faith and calls 
upon us to be true to the end. 

10. The Application (12: 4—13: 25). 

(a) Chastisement is Proof of God's Love (12: 4-17). 

The lesson of chastisement is one that children 
have to learn. It is easier to see the benefit after 
the chastisement is over. Patient endurance is 
what is needed. 

(b) The Warning of Mount Zion (12: 18-29). 

The Jews all knew of the thunders of Mount 
Sinai. But God is still a consuming fire. Mount 
Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the kingdom of 



256 Studies in the New Testament. 

God, is more terrible than the old. Hence, apos- 
tasy must be abhorred and avoided. 

(c) If Necessary, Come Out of Judaism (Chapter 13). 

The issue is not pressed, unless the Jews insist. 
But they led Jesus outside of Jerusalem and cruci- 
fied him there on Golgotha. Let us not be 
ashamed to go out and take our stand with Jesus 
outside the camp of Judaism and bear the re- 
proach of the cross with him. The cross has 
become his glory. Let us glory in it also. Jesus 
has not changed. Why should we give him up? 
Let us be loyal to Christ and to the Christian 
leaders. 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1. Christ in the New Testament. 

2. Types of teaching in the New Testament 

3. The author of Hebrews. 

4. The readers of Hebrews. 

5. Date. 

6. Purpose of the Book of Hebrews. 

7. Characteristics of the Epistle. 

8. Peril of the Jewish Christians. 

9. Line of argument in reply. 
10. The glory of Jesus. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



FINAL VICTORY. 



1. The Life of John. 

We have few dates for constructing a picture 
of the work of John after the story in Acts drops 
him. In the .early chapters of Acts John appears 
to be the constant companion of Peter and yet 
to be in a way not so aggressive as Peter, who 
is the speaker on all occasions when it is necessary 
to speak. Peter and John were sent from Jerusa- 
lem to Samaria to investigate the work of Philip 
there (Acts 8: 14). He is mentioned no more in 
Acts, save in 12 : 2 as the brother of James, who 
was killed by Herod Agrippa I. John must have 
thought of the words of Jesus when he and James 
made the ambitious request about sitting on the 
right hand and the left hand of Jesus. Jesus 
had promised that they should both drink of 
the cup of death and have the baptism of death 
(Mark 10: 39ff). James had now had his bap- 
tism of blood. It was John's turn next and he 
wondered when it would come. He himself did 
not share the idea which some had taken up that 
he was to live till Jesus came back to earth again. 
That was merely a misunderstanding of what 
Jesus had said to Peter in reference to Peter's 
17 (257) 



258 Studies in the New Testament. 

ill-considered inquiry about John when Jesus had 
assured Peter of his martyrdom (John 21 : 20-23). 
It was evidently a surprise to John that he lived 
longer than any of the original apostles. John 
was in attendance upon the great conference in 
Jerusalem and shared the honor of the occasion 
with James, the brother of Jesus, and Simon Pe- 
ter. These three were the pillars in Jerusalem 
(Galatians 2: gi). But he is not recorded in 
Acts 15 as making a speech as Peter and Jame^ 
did. He remained silent in spite of his promi- 
nence and power. Like Peter, he was not a man 
of the schools and had no scholastic training (Acts 
4 : 13), but he was a man of supreme genius. He 
and James were called sons of Thunder, and John 
showed his fiery disposition by his harshness 
toward the man who was casting out demons in 
the name of Jesus, though not one of the apostolic 
circle (Mark 9 : 38f ), and by wishing to call down 
fire upon the Samaritan village (Luke 9: 54f). 
He apparently shared in the jealousies of the 
apostles at the last passover (Luke 22 : 24ff). It 
is clear, therefore, that John had much to over- 
come in his own nature to become the apostle of 
love. Jesus loved him tenderly and found that 
John understood some of his moods and ideas 
best of all. He was evidently a man of the "spir- 
itual temperament and with rare elevation and 
nobility of thought, but also with intensity of feel- 
ing and energy of action. It is clear from 3 John 
9f that John traveled a good deal among the 
churches. He probably was familiar with the 



Final Victory. 259 

seven churches of Asia addressed in the Book of 
Revelation (2, 3), and knew their characteristics 
well. He was in exile on the Isle of Patmos, when 
he wrote the Apocalypse, because of his witness to 
Jesus (Revelation 1 : 9) probably at Ephesus. 
The early writers tell of a ministry of John in 
Ephesus. He seems to have lived on till near the 
end of the first century and is said to have suf- 
fered death in a cauldron of boiling oil. He is 
represented as having sharp opposition to Cerin- 
thus, the Gnostic. But, like Peter, John had no 
Luke to follow his fortunes, and his later history 
is wrapped in obscurity, though many stories are 
told about him by late writers. 

2. The Johannine Writings. 

These writings (the Fourth Gospel, the Epistles 
of John, the Apocalypse or Revelation) are the 
occasion of the sharpest controversy. The 
Johannine Question, as it is called, is complex. 
The authorship of the Fourth Gospel is still keenly 
debated, but advocates of the Johannine author- 
ship have the best of the argument, though it is 
now generally recognized that this Gospel, written 
last of all toward the close of the century, repre- 
sents the teaching of Jesus of a special sort re- 
flected in the mould of John's own personality. 
John has caught in a marvelous way the spirit 
of Christ, and the words of Jesus are often 
blended with his own condensation or paraphrase. 
The Fourth Gospel supplements the other Gospels, 
but does not contradict them. But if we assume 



260 Studies in the New Testament. 

that John the apostle is the author of the Fourth 
Gospel, we still have left the problem of the 
Epistles and the Revelation. The Epistles are 
practically identical in style and tone with the 
Gospel and are bound to be credited to the same 
author, though the term "elder" (presbyter) in 
second and third John has made some suspect 
that the presbyter John, not the apostle John, is 
the author. The Apocalypse does furnish a real 
difficulty both in style and in subject matter. The 
Greek is the most vernacular in the New Testa- 
ment and shows more variations from gram- 
matical niceties. The Gospel and Epistles are com- 
paratively free from such idiosyncracies. The 
explanations are various. Some urge that this is 
the true apostle John while the Gospel and Epistles 
are by the presbyter John. Others argue pre- 
cisely the opposite, that it is the Revelation that 
is by the presbyter John. Others deny that the 
apostle John wrote any of the books. Still others 
hold that John the apostle wrote them all, as I 
believe. The diversity of style may be explained 
either by the fact that the Revelation was earlier 
and represents John's cruder idiom or by the fact 
that the Revelation was unrevised, since John was 
in exile and shows also the excitement of the 
visions which he has seen. This latter view ap- 
peals to me. But there are many points of like- 
ness between the various Johannine writings in 
vocabulary, thought, and diction. They represent 
one of the great divisions of the New Testament. 



Final Victory. 261 

3. Date of the Epistles. 

There is absolutely nothing to indicate clearly 
the date of the Johannine Epistles or their relation 
to each other in point of time. The fact that John 
is the chief spirit in Asia Minor seems to indicate 
a period after the death of Paul and Peter. We 
naturally think of a date after the destruction of 
Jerusalem, perhaps about A.D. 80-85. 

4. The Destruction of Jerusalem. 

The year A.D. 70 marks a new era in Jewish 
history and in the history of Christianity as well. 
Henceforth the Jews are without a temple, and 
even without a homeland. They have been scat- 
tered to the four quarters of the earth with the 
rest of the Dispersion and are still so scattered. 
Jesus had foretold this dire disaster (cf. Matthew 
24, 25), and found in it the punishment of the 
Jews for their treatment of him and the prophecy 
and types of the end of the world and of his 
second coming to earth. The Christians likewise 
came to see in the destruction of the city and 
temple a sign of the downfall of Judaism for its 
rejection of the Messiah. He came unto his 
own land and his own people received him not. 
The separation of Christianity from Judaism be- 
came clearer after this great tragedy. Paul had 
foreseen that the Jews would lose (had already 
lost) their primogeniture in the kingdom of God. 
They had let their privilege fall unused by their 
side. We are to think then of all the Johannine 



262 Studies in the New Testament. 

writings as written after the destruction of Jeru- 
salem, though there is still dispute concerning 
the date of the Apocalypse as we shall see. 

5. The Spread of Gnosticism. 

Paul had foreseen the peril of incipient Gnos- 
ticism and fought it in the third and fourth 
groups of his Epistles. Peter likewise grappled 
with Gnosticism, as did Jude. But the heresy 
had developed now to a sharper issue. They be- 
came quite aggressive and John's tone is very 
sharp toward them. Both kinds (Docetic and 
Cerinthian Gnostics) are condemned in those 
Epistles. If one will read the Ignatian Epistles, 
written in the early years of the second century, 
he will see Gnosticism of a still more highly de- 
veloped type. But in John's life it had spread far 
and wide. 

6. The First Epistle of John. 

In the opening verses we find John insisting 
that Jesus had an actual human body in opposi- 
tion to the Docetic Gnostics, who held that Jesus 
only seemed to be a man and was really an aeon. 
The Gospel of John, while showing the humanity 
of Jesus, clearly lays chief emphasis on his deity 
(John 20: 31), probably against the Cerinthian 
Gnostics, who denied that the man Jesus and the 
aeon Christ were one, or against the Ebionites, 
who denied the real deity of Jesus. The First 
Epistle of John admits the deity of Jesus, but lays 
chief stress on his humanity as genuine and real. 



Final Victory. 263 

So "the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from 
all sin" (i John 1:7). The Cerinthian Gnostics 
are condemned in 1 John 2 : 22 : "Denieth that 
Jesus is the Christ." We must try the spirits 
whether they be of God. The Docetic Gnostics 
denied that Jesus Christ came in the flesh (4: 2f). 
The dominant note in this Epistle is that of reality. 
John could not brook the shallow pretentiousness 
of the Gnostics, who claimed special initiation into 
divine mysteries and peculiar familiarity with 
God and flippantly said, "I know him" (2: 4), 
and yet hated their brothers and walked in all 
manner of evil. They talked loudly of the light 
and walked in darkness. They are liars, says John 
with all bluntness. The easy-going profession of 
absolute freedom from sin was a travesty of Chris- 
tianity. We have hope because we have Jesus as 
our Propitiation for sin and our Advocate with 
the Father (2: if). The man who falls into sin 
has thus hope of pardon, while the man who per- 
sists in the habit of sin is like the devil and be- 
longs to the devil whose child he is (3: 4-10). 
Love of the brethren is proof of love of God. If 
we love God we will love the sons of God. Faith 
is the victory that overcomes the world. Faith 
has love. Perfect love casts our fear. The world 
still lives in the grip of the evil one, but it will 
yet be rescued from his dominion. 

7. The Second Epistle of John. 

The Elect Lady may be a church or, as is more 
likely, a lady. Her name may, indeed, be Cyria 



264 Studies in the New Testament. 

(verse 5). We seem to have an Epistle to a 
sainted woman and her children. John is pleased 
with her children and that will make her heart 
glad. She had probably entertained John on 
one of his journeys (mission tours). He writes 
of truth and love, of Christ as the standard of 
truth, of progress within and into the fullness of 
Christ, not the shallow ignoring of Christ in the 
name of progress. 

8. The Third Epistle of John. 

Here we have an Epistle to a choice servant of 
God, whether preacher or layman. We know not 
if he is the Gaius of Corinth, Paul's host at 
Corinth (Romans 16: 23). But he had been the 
host of other strangers, mission teachers and 
preachers, besides John (3 John 5f), and had 
helped them forward in their journeys for Christ. 
It was still impossible for the missionaries to re- 
ceive pay from the Gentiles as they went forth 
for the name of Jesus. They would have been 
accused of coming for the money. Already we 
see in Gaius one who gave a glad welcome to the 
preachers of Christ. He had a kindred spirit in 
Demetrius. But Diotrephes had refused to en- 
tertain John, when with the church, and had 
threatened expulsion to those who dared to show 
hospitality to John. Diotrephes is the typical 
church "boss" of the rule or ruin sort. These 
little Epistles of John give us precious glimpses 
into the church life of the later years of the first 
century as Christianity pushed on its struggle 



Final Victory. 265 

with Judaism, heathenism, Gnosticism, Mithraism 
and all the mystery cults of the age, pushed on in 
spite of the narrow jealousy and stinginess of 
many of the Christians themselves, by the energy 
of the few consecrated ones like John, the Elect 
Lady, Gaius and Demetrius, who gave themselves 
wholly to the progress of the kingdom. 

9. The Date of the Apocalypse. 

A generation ago it was common to say that the 
Apocalypse was written just before the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, when people were expecting 
Nero to come back to life and power. The catas- 
trophies pictured were due to the Neronian perse- 
cution. But it has now been discovered that 
Domitian was considered by some to be Nero 
Redivivus. He surpassed Nero as a persecutor. 
Hence the express testimony of Irenaeus as ob- 
tained from Polycarp that John wrote the Apoca- 
lypse near the close of the reign of Domitian is 
allowed full weight. The book is probably, after 
all, the last book of the New Testament. 

10. The Shadow of Persecution. 

The Roman Emperor Domitian had instituted 
persecution against Christians as a nuisance and 
the power of the state was heavy against them 
all over the empire, particularly in Asia Minor. 
John himself fell a victim to this widespread op- 
pression of Christianity and is in exile in the 
Isle of Patmos. Paul (2 Thessalonians 2) had 
foreseen this struggle between Rome and Chris- 



266 Studies in the New Testament. 

tianity and had pictured the Roman emperor as 
the Man of Sin who received worship as God. 
The emperor cult was the chief worship of the 
empire. It was inevitable that Christianity, 
whose disciples could not worship Caesar, would 
come into collision with the state whenever the 
state endeavored to force the Christians to wor- 
ship the emperor. Caligula had trouble with the 
Jews on this score. Nero took it up as a way 
out of his scrape about the burning of Rome. But 
Domitian is in a much more serious mood and 
inaugurates a fixed policy to stamp out Chris- 
tianity as dangerous to Roman imperialism. So 
the great battle between Caesar and Christ was on. 
It was to last for centuries. The issues often 
hung in the balance. Caesar had all the advan- 
tage of power and prestige from a worldly point 
of view. How could the scattered congregations 
of believers stand up against this arbitrary power ? 
Already thousands have been slain. 

11. The Purpose of the Apocalypse. 

John is full of the visions about the conflict, and 
writes to cheer the saints in the midst of battle. 
They are oppressed by the power of imperial 
Rome and by the hand of the provincial govern- 
ment. The ring of seven churches from Ephesus 
were in the very center of the conflict. Some were 
tempted to turn traitor. All needed a word of 
cheer. No one could speak it with the same ac- 
cent of authority as John the Beloved Apostle, 
now himself in his old age an exile for witnessing 



Final Victory. 267 

to Christ. There were martyrs in plenty, and 
John's turn would come soon. But he is not 
afraid. 

12. The Method of the Apocalypse. 

The book of Revelation is an apocalypse, is, 
in fact, the Christian apocalypse. The term 
"apocalypse" means revelation (unveiling), and 
at first seems a misnomer when applied to a book 
full of symbols which are so obscure to us. But it 
is to be remembered that the 'symbols were not 
necessarily obscure to the readers. The use of 
apocalyptic was a recognized method of writing 
that was now in common use among the Jews. It 
arose in times of oppression when the Jews were 
afraid to say in plain language all that they 
wished to say. Hence, symbols w T ere used that 
were intelligible to the initiated, but more or less 
of a jumble to the uninformed. The Book of 
Daniel is a striking instance of such a writing in 
the Old Testament. See also the Book of Enoch, 
Second Esdras. In fact, the apocalyptists, as they 
were called, came to be the chief spiritual inter- 
preters of the better Judaism of the time in con- 
trast with the hard Pharisaism so current. But 
there were many vagaries and excrescences in the 
use of apocalyptic. The Book of Revelation is al- 
most a mosaic of images used in Ezekiel and 
Daniel. Some writers claim that the book uses 
other Jewish apocalypses. There was ample reason 
for the use of apocalyptic in Revelation since the 
downfall of Rome is predicted and that prediction 



268 Studies in the New Testament. 

would not help Christians at Rome. Hence, the 
imagery is veiled and yet it is clear enough that 
here Babylon refers to Rome. The courage of 
John who is in exile is not concealed by the use 
of imagery. 

13. Interpretations of the Apocalypse. 

The book has proven a veritable puzzle to the 
expositors, once the historical atmosphere is lost 
and the key to the symbols is gone. Those with 
special theories of the millennium have appealed to 
it for proof. The millennium is only mentioned 
in the twentieth chapter and is itself a symbol, but 
has been made by many the key to the whole book. 
The essential fact of the second coming of Christ 
is in danger of being obscured by rival theories 
of the millennium. Schemes of history have been 
worked out to fit the seven seals, the seven trum- 
pets, and the seven bowls. These have been taken 
as continuous, one series after the other, and as 
outlining the course of history till the end of the 
world. They have also been taken as synchronous, 
each series more or less parallel and each going 
to the end. But both of these historical theories 
fail in any fair interpretation of the symbols. 
Roman Catholic scholars found the millennium to 
begin with the conversion of Constantine, but 
Protestants have replied that this period is the 
Dark Ages and that the two beasts are Pagan and 
Papal Rome. The Roman Catholic scholars have 
replied that the book is all over in the past 
(Preterist theory) either in the time of Nero or 



Final Victory. 269 

of Domitian. If so, the fulfillment ought to be 
clear by now. Other Romanists have urged that 
the book is all about the future (Futurist theory), 
and has no bearing on the present. In the medley 
of views, some scholars take all the book to be 
purely spiritual with no historical aspects at all. 
A saner view is the more recent one of W. M. 
Ramsay, who finds in the two beasts a reference 
to imperial and provincial Rome as persecuting 
Christians and sees the occasion and immediate 
historical reference in the Domitianic persecution, 
but takes the book as a picture in general terms 
of the struggle between the world dominion and 
Christ repeated throughout the ages. It is futile 
to make the book a proof text in ecclesiastical 
controversy since the symbols can be interpreted 
in so many ways. No book demands more com- 
mon sense and none yields richer fruit when 
handled properly. 

14. Letters to the Seven Churches. 

The whole book is addressed to the circle of 
seven Asia churches (Ephesus, Smyrna, Per- 
gamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodi- 
cea) so that one is justified in thinking the need 
of these churches was especially great, though the 
book has a message for all Christians of that age 
and of all times. There are (chapters 2, 3) special 
messages to each of these churches. The churches 
represent various types, to be sure, but the picture 
is a true one drawn from life. Already Chris- 
tianity is feeling the influence of the lapse of years 



270 Studies in the New Testament. 

upon those who are disposed to grow weary in 
well-doing. Heresy is rife in Asia (cf. Colossians, 
Ephesians, I and 2 Timothy). The love of many 
has grown cold and orthodoxy is often a dead 
form. Jesus walked among the churches then as 
he does now and sees, alas, all the shortcomings 
and subterfuges of the saints. The predictions 
about these churches and cities have all been ful- 
filled. The ruins of Ephesus, for instance, speak 
eloquently of a first love from which this great 
church of privilege and power has turned away. 

15. Practical Aspects of the Apocalypse. 

There is a great deal in the book that is easily 
understood and that is exceedingly useful for the 
life of all Christians. The picture of the worship 
of God and Jesus in chapters four and five is in- 
spiring for true devotion. The same thing is 
true of all the many glimpses of heaven in the 
book. Jesus is the object of worship on a par 
with the Father. Jesus has made atonement for 
sin and is now at the right hand of the Father in 
power and glory. He will come again to claim 
his own and it will not be long, as God counts 
time. So the saints must cheerfully endure the 
ills of the present in hope of the glory that is to 
be. The power of Rome may kill the bodies of the 
martyrs, but their souls are happy with God. 

16. Certainty of Triumph in the End. 

Jesus is Captain and is leading the hosts of God 
against the hosts of Satan. The conflict outlined 



Final Victory. 271 

in the Temptation of Jesus is here set forth at 
length. In spite of the apparent victory of Satan 
as he uses the power of Rome, or Anti-Christ, to 
slay the followers of Jesus, the outcome will be 
the conquest of the world for Christ. "The king- 
dom of the world has become the kingdom of our 
Lord and of his Christ" (Revelation n: 15). 
There will be many ups and downs, but already 
John sees the fall of Babylon. The joy of heaven 
over this event reflects the spirit of the whole 
book. It is a drama, the drama of man in his last 
struggle with Apollyon. Christ as Captain will 
win. The hosts of Satan go back to hell. The 
hosts of Christ occupy the New Jerusalem, the 
city of God, the glorious picture of heaven, where 
the peace of God is in every heart, where the Lamb 
is the Light, where God himself is the Temple 
and the Glory, where his servants serve him and 
see his face and reign for ever and ever. 



272 Studies in the New Testament. 



TOPICS FOR REVIEW. 

1. John the apostle. 

2. The Johannine writings. 

3. Destruction of Jerusalem. 

4. Spread of Gnosticism. 

5. First Epistle of John. 

6. Second Epistle of John. 

7. Third Epistle of John. 

8. Date of the Apocalypse. 

9. The Domitianic persecution. 

10. Jewish apocalyptic. 

11. Purpose of the Book of Revelation, 

12. Interpretations of the book. 

13. The letters to the seven churches. 

14. Pictures of heaven and hell. 

15. The millennium. 

16. The triumph of Jesus. 



QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW AND 
EXAMINATION. 



These questions may, at the close of the study, be 
assigned as a special lesson. Careful and constant re- 
view, at each recitation, of all the preceding lessons, 
will bring the class to this final test already prepared. 
At least sixteen questions, one for each chapter, should 
be selected from those given below for the examination. 
Pupils making a grade of 70 per. cent are given appro- 
priate seal for their diploma. Teachers preferring to 
do so may submit an examination at the close of each 
"Part." 

CHAPTER I. 

1. Show how the Roman Empire built "on the ruins of 

the past." 

2. Indicate the influence of Greece on the Roman Empire. 

3. Tell of educational conditions in the Roman world. 

4. Show how philosophy "had received a distinctly prac- 

tical turn" at this time. 

5. What was the state of religion in the Roman world 

when Jesus of Nazareth was born? 

6. What was the state of morals at this time? 

7. Describe social conditions in the Roman Empire. 

8. Tell of "business activity." 

9. Name some of the important cities of this period. 

10. What of the influence wielded by militarism? 

11. Show how the "provinces" were governed. What of the 

government of Judea during the ministry of Jesus? 

12. Indicate the general character of Augustus Caesar, and 

tell of his reign. 

13. What is meant by the Dispersion? Tell something of 

the Jews of the Eastern Dispersion, and of the 
Western Dispersion. 

(273) 



274 Studies in the New Testament. 



CHAPTER II. 

1. Explain the coming of Palestine under Roman Rule. 

2. Tell something of Greek influence in Palestine during 

the century preceding the Christian Era. 

3. Tell of the career and character of Herod the Great. 

4. What men succeeded Herod the Great? 

5. Describe the character, and outline briefly the career, of 

Pilate. 

6. Tell something of the two Herod Agrippas. 

7. What various temples stood on Mt. Moriah? What of 

the place held by the temple in the life and affec- 
tions of Israel? 

8. Name the most important feasts observed by the Jews. 

9. Tell of the membership of the Sanhedrin. 

10. What was the origin of the synagogue? What was its 

object? 

11. What Hebrew Scripture was in use in Christ's day? 

12. What was the origin and what the nature of the 

Talmud ? 

13. Tell of the work and the influence of the scribes. 

14. Describe the two "schools of theology." 

15'. Tell of the Pharisees and indicate their attitude toward 
Jesus. 

16. What were important elements in the belief of the 

Sadducees? 

17. Who were the Essenes? Did John the Baptist hold 

membership in this sect? 

18. Who were the publicans and what was their general 

standing? 

19. Tell of agriculture in Palestine. 

20. Describe the position of women in the days of our Lord. 

21. Concerning the destruction of Jerusalem : (1) Give 

date; (2) name the conqueror; (3) indicate the 
importance of the event. 



CHAPTER III. 

1-3. Tell something of Zacharias and Elizabeth. 

4. Tell of John's life of preparation in the deserts. 

5. Describe the wilderness of Judea and tell of John's 

ministry there. 



Questions for Review. 275 

6. Tell of John's "rebuking the age." Whence did John 

receive his authority and his baptism? 

7. Set forth John's picture of the Messiah. 

8. Why did Jesus seek baptism at the hands of John? 

9. Tell of the ''Commission from Jerusalem." 

10. John identified Jesus as Messiah. Where? In what 

words? 

11. Quote words of John which indicate his freedom from 

jealousy. 

12. For what did John denounce Herod and Herodias? 

13. Why did Herod shut up John in prison? 

14. Tell of John's message to Jesus. 

15. What was Christ's estimate of John? 

16. Tell of the death of John the Baptist. 



CHAPTER IV. 

1. What are the sources of our knowledge of the life and 

work of Jesus? 

2. What is your own impression as regards the supernat- 

ural in Jesus himself and in his works? 

3. What does the author mean by saying that "there is no 

life of Jesus"? 

4. What Scripture reasons have we for believing that Je- 

sus is the Son of God? 

5. Prove that Jesus was "the Son of man." 

6. What was the message of Gabriel to Mary? 

7. Describe the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth. 

8. Tell of Gabriel's message to Joseph. 

9. Why do we fix upon B.C. 5 as the probable date of the 

birth of Christ? 
10. Tell of "the place" of our Lord's birth. 
11-15. Indicate the five groups who interested themselves 

in the Christ-child. 
16, 17. Give reasons for the flight into Egypt and for the 

return to Nazareth. 

18. Describe the home and circle in which Jesus grew up. 

19, 20. Describe the one glimpse which we get of the boyhood 

of Jesus. 
21. Jesus was known as "the carpenter." What significance 
has this fact for all honest toilers? 



276 Studies in the New Testament. 



CHAPTER v. 

I, 2. What was the length of our Lord's ministry? At what 

date did our Lord begin his ministry? 

3. Indicate the first act of Jesus as Messiah and show the 

significance of this act? 

4. With what weapon did Jesus triumph over Satan? 

5. Relate incidents which mark the beginnings of our 

Lord's ministry. 

6. Tell of the rebuff at Jerusalem and of the single excep- 

tion. 

7. Tell of the success in Judea. 

8. Describe "the harvest in Samaria." 

9. What city did Jesus choose as headquarters for his 

work in Galilee? Why did he not choose Nazareth? 
10. What leading charge was urged against Jesus by his 
enemies, especially in Jerusalem? 

II. Tell of the choice of the apostles, and indicate the sig- 

nificance of this act. 
12. The sermon on the Mount : Where was it delivered ? 
To whom? With what purpose? 

14. Indicate the attitude of the Pharisees toward Jesus and 

state the grievous charge which they openly brought 
against him. 

15. What impression was made on the family of Jesus by 

this charge of the Pharisees? 

16. Discuss Jesus as a teacher, noting especially his use of 

parables. 

17. Jesus sent out the twelve by twos: For what purpose? 

With what result? 

18. Tell of "the outcome in Galilee." 

19. Jesus gave "special training for the twelve." Show the 

conditions which opened the way for this training 
and indicate circumstances favorable to such train- 
ing. 

20. After a long absence Jesus returned to Jerusalem for 

the feast of tabernacles. Tell of his reception at 
this time. 

22. Which of the Gospels alone records the raising of Laza- 

rus? Give a possible reason for the silence of the 
synoptics here. 

23. Trace the movements of Jesus from his stay in the hills 

of Ephraim. 



Questions for Review. £77 



CHAPTER VI. 

1. What was the state of public opinion toward Jesus as 

the passover approached? 

2. What in the triumphal entry indicates the courage of 

Jesus ? 

3. Name two significant events which occurred Monday of 

the last week in the life of Jesus. 

4. Indicate some events of Jesus' last day in the temple. 

5. Of what chiefly did Jesus talk in the afternoon sitting 

on Mt. Olivet? 

6. Tell of the offer of Judas to betray Jesus and indicate 

the motives which actuated him. 

7. How did Jesus rebuke the pride of the apostles during 

the last passover supper? 

8. By what sign did Jesus declare that Judas should be- 

tray him? 

9. Of what were the bread and wine the picture ? Of what 

the memorial? Of what the pledge? 

10. Where do we have record of Jesus' farewell discourse? 

11. Tell of the struggle in the garden. 

12. By what sign did Judas betray Jesus? Describe Peter's 

effort to defend his Lord. 

13. Was Jesus tried by Annas? 

14. Show that the trial by the Sanhedrin was a farce. 

15. How did Peter strengthen his assertion that he never 

knew the Lord? 

16. Describe the manner of Judas' death. 

17. What charges did the Jews urge against Jesus before 

Pilate? 

18. What prompted Pilate to send Jesus to Herod Antipas? 

19. What final effort did Pilate make to secure the release 

of Jesus? 

20. What most probably was the location of Calvary? 

21. Relate some incidents which occurred while Jesus was 

on the Cross. 

22. What caused the death of Jesus ? 

23. What precaution was taken by the Sanhedrin in connec- 

tion with the tomb of Jesus? 



278 Studies in the New Testament. 



CHAPTER VII. 

1. Indicate the importance of the doctrine of the resurrec- 

tion. 

2. Show how the doubt of the disciples makes it easier for 

us to believe. 

3. Suggest some theories by which unbelievers have sought 

to explain away the resurrection. 

4. How long did Christ remain in the tomb? 

5, 6. Tell of two visits made by the women to the tomb of 
Jesus. 

7. Tell of the visit of Peter and John to the tomb. 

8. Tell of Mary's coming to the tomb. 

9. What report was borne by the guard to the Sanhedrin? 

10. What of the theory that the women started the belief 

in the resurrection? 

11. Relate the circumstances under which Jesus appeared 

to Cleopas and his companion. 

12. What significance was attached to the appearance to 

Peter? 

13. Name the five appearances of Jesus during the first day 

of his resurrection life. 

14. Tell something of the appearance "the next Sunday 

night." 

15. To whom did Jesus appear by the Sea of Galilee? 

16. What threefold duty as stated by the author is set forth 

in the commission as given on the mountain in 
Galilee? 

17. What led to the conversion of James, the brother or 

Jesus? 

18. Which of the evangelists records the commission given 

just before the ascension? 

19. With what promise did the angels comfort the disciples 

when Jesus had ascended? 



CHAPTER VIII. 

1. Indicate the purpose of the Book of Acts. 

2. What was the promise left by Jesus for whose fulfill- 

ment the disciples waited and prayed after his os- 
cension? 

3. Tell of the election of the "New Apostle." 



Questions for Review. 279 

4. Tell some things which occurred on "the day of pente- 

cost," and show what claims were made by Peter. 

5. Indicate some marks of a happy church mentioned in 

Luke's picture of church life following pentecost. 

6. Tell of the miracle which led to the persecution of the 

disciples by the Pharisees. (Acts 3 : 1 — 4 : 31.) 

7. Tell of the liberality of Joseph Barnabas and of the 

perfidy of Ananias and Sapphira. 

8. Describe the "prosperity" which followed the death of 

Ananias and Sapphira. 

9. Show how, during the "renewed persecution," Gamaliel 

saved the disciples. 

10. Relate the circumstances which (probably) gave rise to 

the office of the deacon. 

11. Wherein is the significance of the statement that "a 

great company of the priests were obedient to the 
faith." 

12. What in Stephen's speech angered the Pharisees? 

13. Tell of Saul's persecution of the church. 

14. Tell something of the work of Philip in Samaria. 

15. Indicate the significance of the conversion and baptism 

of the household of Cornelius. 

16. Who made protest against Peter in connection with the 

baptism of Cornelius? Why? 

17. Show how the power of the state was first used against 

the apostles. 

18. Tell something of the Epistle of James. 



CHAPTER IX. 

1. Concerning Saul's persecution of the believers : De> 

scribe (1) Saul's motive; (2) his zeal and energy. 

2. Give arguments to prove that Jesus actually appeared to 

Saul on the way to Damascus. 

3. Tell how Ananias was induced to go to Saul at the 

house of Judas. 

4. What became the central thought in Saul's new 

theology ? 

5. How did Saul probably occupy himself during his stay 

in Arabia? 

6. Tell of Saul's departure from Damascus after his return 

to that city from Arabia. 



280 Studies in the New Testament. 

7. Tell of Saul's reception in Jerusalem on his return to 

that city after his conversion. 

8. What were the fruits of Saul's labor in Tarsus and 

Cilicia ? 

9. What was the occasion of Saul's coming to labor in 

Antioch ? 



CHAPTER X. 

1. Concerning the first great tour, tell — 

(a) Of preparation for the missionary movement ; 

(b) Of the call of the first missionaries ; 

(c) Of the first mission band ; 

(d) Of the course pursued, and. why ; 

(e) Of the reception on the return to Antioch. 

2. What issue was made by the Pharisees against Barna- 

bas and Saul ? 

3. What decision was reached by the Great Council in 

Jerusalem ? 

4. What was the point of difference between Saul on the 

one hand and Peter and Barnabas on the other 
hand? 

5. The second great tour — 

(a) What gave rise to the dispute over John Mark? 

(b) What was Paul's first work in his second mission- 

ary journey? 

(c) Tell something of Timothy. 

(d) Why did not Paul push on westward to Ephesus? 

(e) What vision came to Paul at Troas? 

(f) What miracle did Paul work in Philippi, and with 

what results? 

(g) Tell something of Paul's experience in Thessalonica. 
(h) What of the attitude of the Bereans toward Paul's 

message? 
(i) What in Paul's sermon repelled the men of Athens? 
(j) Describe conditions as Paul encountered them at 

Corinth, 
(k) For what purpose did Paul write I and II Thessa- 

lonians? 



Questions for Review. 281 



CHAPTER XI. 

1. How many missionary tours did Paul make? 

2. Into how many groups do Paul's Epistles fall? 

3. Name some of Paul's associates in missionary work. 

4. What countries did Paul first visit on his third mission- 

ary tour? 

5. Tell something of Apollos. 

6. Three years in Ephesus — 

(a) Did the twelve "misinformed disciples of John the 
Baptist" have any connection with Apollos? 

(b, c) In what two places did Paul preach in Ephesus? 

(d, e) Give incidents which indicate the influence at- 
tained by Paul in Ephesus. 

7. Tell of the division in the Corinthian church which Paul 

rebukes in I Corinthians. 

8. Why did Paul push on from Troas to Macedonia? 

9. Tell something of the nature of the Second Epistle to 

the Corinthians. 

10. Why did Paul go to Illyricum? 

11. How long did Paul remain in Corinth? 

12. What does Paul in Galatians declare to be the very 

esscence of the gospel? 

13. What thesis does Paul lay down in Romans? 

14. To what city did Paul go up at the conclusion of his 

third missionary journey? 



CHAPTER XII. 

1. What reception was accorded Paul at Jerusalem? 

2. What plan was adopted on Paul's part to remove preju- 

dices of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem? 

3. What false charge was brought by Jews from Ephesus 

against Paul? 

4. Indicate the spirit of the Sanhedrin toward Paul. 

5. Tell how the Lord cheered Paul the night after his 

trial before the Sanhedrin. 

6. Show how Paul was rescued from conspirators who 

sought his death. 

7. What charges did Tertullus on behalf of the Sanhedrin 

bring against Paul ? 



282 Studies in the New Testament. 

8. Why did Felix ask Herod Agrippa and Bernice to hear 

Paul? 

9, 10, 11. At what points did Paul stop on his journey to 

Rome? 

12. Tell of the conditions of Paul's life during the two 

years spent as a prisoner in Rome. 

13. What is the keynote of Philippians? 

14. Tell of the Epistle to Philemon. 

15. What question is uppermost in Colossians? 

16. What was the nature of the letter to the Ephesians? 

CHAPTER XIII. 

1. What are our sources of knowledge concerning the last 

days of Paul? 

2. Was Paul ever really tried in Rome? 

3, 4. Tell of Paul's probable whereabouts after his release in 
Rome. 

5. On whom did Nero lay the blame for the burning of 

Rome? With what result? 

6. How did Paul seek to correct evils in Crete? 

7, 8. Indicate other places in which Paul probably labored 
at this time. 

9. What was Paul's purpose in writing I Timothy? (1 : 

3, 4.) 

10. What of Cretan character as indicated in the Epistle 

to Titus? 

11. At whose instigation was Paul now arrested, and on 

what charge? 

12, 13. Describe the conditions of Paul's last imprisonment 

in Rome. 

14. Tell something of the "last Epistle of the Giant 

Apostle." 

15. Tell of Paul's death. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

1. Name the general, or Catholic, Epistles. 

2. What do we know of the later ministry of Peter? 

3. The First Epistle of Peter — 

(a) Are there serious objections to the genuineness of 
this Epistle? 



Questions for Review. 283 

(b) From what place did Peter write this Epistle? 

(c) What was the probable date of this writing? 

(d) To whom was the Epistle addressed? 

(e) What seems to be the aim of the Epistle? 

4. The Epistle of Jude — 

(a) Who was the author of this Epistle? 

(b) What of its date? 

5. Second Epistle of Peter : give its date ; its destina- 

tion ; its general nature. 

6. What was the probable place and manner of Peter's 

death? 

CHAPTER XV. 

1. What can you say as to unity of teaching in the New 

Testament? 

2. Say something as to the diversity of teaching in the 

New Testament. 

3. What can be said as to the authorship of the Epistle 

to the Hebrews? 

4. What of the destination of the Epistle to the Hebrews? 

5. What of the place of writing of this Epistle? 

6. What was the probable date of the writing of this 

Epistle ? 

7. Say something as to "style" in the Epistle to the 

Hebrews. 

8. Discuss briefly the "occasion" of the Epistle to the 

Hebrews. 

9. The Line of Argument. 

Trace the course of the argument as suggested by the 

author in eleven points. 
(The Epistle should be carefully read with the author's 

outline as a guide.) 

CHAPTER XVI. 

1. Tell of the life and character of John. 

2. What books of the New Testament are attributed to 

John? 

3. What was the probable date of the Epistles of John? 

4. Jerusalem was destroyed. When? With what result to 

Christianity ? 



284 Studies in the New Testament. 

5. Indicate the spread of gnosticism. 
6, 7, 8. Certify that you have carefully read the First, Second 

and Third Epistles of John in the light of the 

author's treatment. 
9. Which hook in the New Testament was probably the 

last written? 

10. Tell of persecutions under Domitian. 

11. What was "the purpose of the Apocalypse"? 

12. What is the meaning of "apocalypse"? Why this type 

of literature? 

13. What as to the millennium in the Book of Revelation? 

What great doctrine is said to be in danger of being 
obscured by rival theories of the millennium? 

14. To whom was the Apocalypse addressed? 

15. Indicate practical aspects of the Apocalypse? 

16. What final outcome is predicted in the Apocalypse? 



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"Practical and Social Aspects of Christianity. The 
Wisdom of James." $1.25. 

"Studies in the New Testament." Cloth, 50c; 
paper, 35c. 

"Syllabus for New Testament Study." (Revised 
edition.) $1.35. 

BAPTIST SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD, 
Nashville, Tenn. 



OUR NORMAL COURSE BOOKS. 

The following is the arrangement of the text-books 
offered for study in the Normal Course. 

Book 1. 
"The New Convention Normal Manual" (Spilman, 
Leavell, and Burroughs); cloth, 50c; paper, 35c. 

Book 2. 

"Winning to Christ" (Burroughs); cloth, 50c; 
paper, 35c. 

Book 3. 
"Talks with the Training Class" (Slattery); 50c. 

Book 4. 
"The Seven Laws of Teaching" (Gregory); 50c. 

Book 5. 
"The Graded Sunday School" (Beauchamp) ; cloth, 
50c; paper, 35c; for officers and all classes wishing to 
study the general subject of organization and man- 
agement. 

For departmental workers wishing to study, individually 
or in departmental groups, a book on their own special de- 
partment, a list of optional books is offered covering Senior- 
Adult, Intermediate, Junior, Primary, and Beginners' Depart- 
ments. For completion of any one of these books, Seal 5 will 
be awarded. Send for leaflet giving this list of optional 
books, with directions for study, stating which departmental 
work is desired. 

Book 6. 

"What Baptists Believe'' (Wallace); cloth, 50c; 
paper, 35c; or, 

"Doctrines of Our Faith" (Dargan) ; cloth, 50c; 
paper, 35c. 

("Doctrinal Outlines," 25 cents, is prepared as a guide for 
those undertaking to teach either of these books.) 

Book 7. 
"The Heart of the Old Testament" (Sampey); 
cloth, 50c; paper, 25c; or 

"Old Testament Studies" (Burroughs); cloth, 50c; 
paper, 35c. 

Book 8. 

"Studies in the New Testament" (Robertson); 
cloth, 50c; paper, 35c. 

BAPTIST SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD, 
Nashville, Tenn. 



THE POST GRADUATE COURSE, 



Offered for Blue Seal Graduates. 



"The School of the Church" (J. M. Frost, LL.D.). 
A spiritual interpretation of the Sunday School; in- 
spires and enriches Sunday school workers with a 
vision of the deep inner things of Sunday school life. 
($1.00, postpaid.) 

"The Way Made Plain" (J. H. Brookes, D.D.). Pre- 
sents the fundamental doctrines of grace; a study in 
evangelism and in evangelical doctrines. (75c, post- 
paid.) 

"The Making of a Teacher" (Martin G. Brumbaugh, 
LL.D.). Discusses Sunday School Psychology and 
Sunday School Pedagogy; presents the results of 
modern scientific investigation and of modern educa- 
tional experience. ($1.00, postpaid.) 

"Secrets of Sunday School Teaching" (Edward 
Leigh Pell). A treatment of the problems and ques- 
tions most frequently met in Sunday school work. 
($1.00, postpaid.) 

"The Monuments and the Old Testament" (Ira M. 
Price, D.D.). A delightful and inspiring study show- 
ing the light shed on the Old Testament by modern 
excavations in Assyria, Egypt, and other countries. 
($1.50, postpaid.) 

For each of these books a leaflet is furnished giv- 
ing questions and guidance for doing the required 
work. No memory test is required in the Post Grad- 
uate Course. No credits and no substitutions are 
permitted. All manuscript work is examined by the 
Department of Sunday School Education, which may 
be addressed in our care. 

BAPTIST SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD, 
Nashville, Tenn. 



STUDY COURSE TEXT BOOKS, 



For the B. Y. P. U, 



"Training in Church Membership (I. J. Van Ness, 
D.D.). Paper, 30c; cloth, 50c. 

"The Heart of the Old Testament" (J. R. Sampey, 
D.D.). Paper, 35c; cloth, 50c. 

"How Baptists Work Together" (Lansing Bur- 
rows, D.D.). Cloth, 50c. 

"Training in Bible Study" (B. A. Dawes, D.D.). 
Paper, 35c; cloth, 50c. 

"Training in the Baptist Spirit" (I. J. Van Ness, 
D.D.). Paper, 35c; cloth, 50c. 



OTHER H3. Y. P. U. SUPPLIES. 



"New B. Y. P. U. Manual" (L. P. Leavell). Cloth, 
50c. 

Secretary's Record (Arthur Flake). Cloth, $1.00. 

Blackboard Report (properly ruled). Mounted top 
and bottom. $1.00. 

Honor Roll (used with Daily Bible Readings). Two 
forms — one January to June, and the other July to 
December. Either form, 25c. 

BAPTIST SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD, 
161 Eighth Ave., N., Nashville, Tenn.* 



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